I shaved my head after cancer diagnosis – I knew it would happen, says Sarah Beeny
TV PRESENTER Sarah Beeny has shaved her head with dog clippers after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sarah, 50, said she wanted to challenge the stereotypes associated with baldness for women.
Property guru Sarah started chemotherapy in August and had been dreading the diagnosis after her mum died of the disease 40 years ago.
She said: “Having no hair often seems to be associated with anger.
You’re a victim or it’s a punishment, like Fantine in Les Miserables or Cersei Lannister in Game Of Thrones.
“People are ashamed of their bald heads. The more I talk to people in this boat, the word I keep hearing is ‘shame’.
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“And I thought: Why? If you’ve got breast cancer and you’re having treatment, the fact you have no hair is not a reason to be ashamed.
“I don’t want to be ashamed. I don’t want other people to feel ashamed. I want to change that stereotype.”
She has previously said of the moment she received the diagnosis: “The nurse was so sweet and they were really nice to me but I thought, ‘You don’t understand. I’ve waited 40 years to hear those words’.
“I knew I was going to hear them one day.”
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She was told she had an 80 per cent chance of beating the disease, diagnosed three months ago after she found a lump.
But Sarah, who has since bought some wigs, said she would continue to work and is currently working on a Channel 4 documentary about her cancer journey.
She also has a book, called The Simple Life, planned for later this year.
Sarah, who presented Help! My House Is Falling Down and Sarah Beeny's New Life In The Country, said she used the clippers normally reserved for trimming her cockapoo Maple’s fur to get rid of her hair when it started to fall out.
She also said she has had her eyebrows tattooed on.
Mum-of-four Sarah, who lives in Somerset, has given up drinking during the chemo and plans to celebrate with a glass of champagne when her treatment ends on December 30.
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GP and Sun expert Dr Zoe Watson said women should check every month for any signs of the disease.
They include changes in the size, outline, shape, look or feel of the breast or nipples. or a new discharge of fluid from either of your nipples.