Sherrie Hewson reveals she’s going deaf and is reliant on hearing aids
SHERRIE Hewson has revealed she's going deaf and is reliant on hearing aids.
The Benidorm former Coronation Street actress, 68, found out her hearing was deteriorating after popping to her local optician for an eye test.
She told the : “That’s when I remembered my eight-year-old granddaughter Molly saying: ‘Nana, why are you always shouting?’.
“I’d had a test five years ago but I’d done nothing about it.
“It would have been different if it had been my eyes. But there’s a stigma attached to being deaf, isn’t there? Wearing an aid makes you feel like an old person.
“They solved any stigma attached to glasses by making them funky. They’re like a fashion accessory now. I know people who buy them with plain glass in them.”
Sherrie says she isn't bothered about wearing the aids because they're so small she can barely see them.
She said: “They’re so small you can hardly see them and especially if you wear your hair to your jawline. I had the wire dyed to the colour of my roots which hides them even more.
“I couldn’t believe the difference. I can hear everything now. I’m only wearing them at home at the moment. I tried them outdoors but the traffic was too loud. It was a shock.
“What people don’t understand is that, if you’re deaf, it’s not the volume that you miss so much as the clarity. I must have spent half my life lip-reading without realising it. I was forever accusing the family of mumbling.
“It’s also made me realise how loud I have my telly. And the radio in my car practically blew me away with my hearing aids in.
“You can’t restore any hearing you’ve lost but you can slow down the deterioration by wearing your aids whenever possible rather than turning up the volume on everything. You’ll damage your ears if you do.”
She says her fear of growing old has worsened since leaving Loose Admits and now admits needing counselling.
"The thought of ageing fills me with sadness," Benidorm actress Sherrie told us.
"I feel like I've lost the girl that I once was and the face I knew.
"You have to come to terms with the fact that that person isn't there anymore.
"It makes me feel invisible because no man in the world is going to look at me because they all want to be with a woman who is at least 20 years younger.
"It makes you feel unattractive, so you start doing things like I do to change myself.
"Maybe I need to have counselling to get rid of the terrible stuff that goes on in my head."
Sherrie left Loose Women in 2016 after 14 years on the panel saying it was time to bow out.
But ever since, the mum-of-one has missed the closeness of her TV pals who helped her through her body dysmorphia battle.
Sherrie faced problems with her appearance when she noticed a change in her body when she turned 50.
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The star admitted undergoing a facelift to try and “save” her marriage to "cheating" DJ Ken Boyd. The couple went on to divorce in 2011.
"I remember thinking 'oh my god, I don't know who the hell that person is anymore'," admits Sherrie.
"After turning 50 you get those saggy arms and start to put weight on that you didn't have before.
"Suddenly your face has got all of these wrinkles.
"Everything starts to change."
Sherrie Hewson is working with Specsavers to help remove the stigma associated with hearing loss. For more information or to book a hearing check visit:
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