Emmerdale star Laura Norton’s horror as her hair ‘falls out in clumps’ after landing dream role as Kerry Wyatt

magazine that she started taking synthetic hormones to tackle her "horrendous" periods.

She said: "What they never told me was certain pills are testosterone-heavy and attack hair follicles, making hair get thinner and weaker, then fall out."

The actress revealed that it was when she joined the ITV soap that things got really bad.

Laura wrote: "I got my dream job playing Kerry Wyatt on Emmerdale and - boom - my hair was falling out in clumps."

She added: "Thanks universe, great timing! It wasn't great for the old self-esteem."

However, Laura said matters improved massively when she contacted her local trichologist - a hair doctor - in Newcastle, where she lived at the time.

She said she was given drops for her hormones and supplies of ferritin, which helps your body to store iron.

The star was also given a 'hair-friendly' version of the pill to replace the ones she had previously been taking and her hair started to recover.

Last year soap favourite Laura welcomed a baby boy called Jesse with former co-star Mark Jordon.

And she explained that her hair began falling out again after she was no longer able to take the drops because of their hormonal content.

She explained: "It was so intense I don't know how I had any hair left on my head."

But, as before, the actress was patient and the hair did eventually grow back - and she says she expects there will be another occasion where her hair leaves her in the future.

Laura has played Kerry Wyatt in Emmerdale since 2012, while 56-year-old Mark starred as Daz Spencer from 2014 until 2019.

The couple began dating after meeting on set when he joined the soap to play her on-screen brother-in-law.