Gogglebox star Chris Butland-Steed has third hair transplant after homophobic bullies left him hating his appearance
"I have always wanted to defy those bullies."
By Will Stroude
Gogglebox star Chris Butland-Steed has showed off his new head of hair after undergoing his third hair transplant in two year.
The reality star, 41, says he sought treatment for hair loss after homophobic bullying as a child left him with life-long insecurities about his appearance.
Chris had 1,500 hair grafts (more than 3,000 individual hairs) taken from the back and sides of his scalp and replanted in the balding area around his crown during the £9,000 procedure performed by Harley Street surgeon Asim Shahmalak from Crown Clinic.
“I am a hair stylist and I pride myself on having wonderful, flamboyant hair,” Chris says.
Chris’s balding crown prior to his hair transplant surgery
“Unfortunately, nature gave me an aggressive form of hair loss which meant I have been losing lots of my natural hair since my early 20s.
“I would be completely bald like my dad now if I had not sought help from hair transplant surgeon Asim Shahmalak.
“He has very patiently replaced all my lost hair over the last two years and ensured I have the same glorious full head of hair I had when I was teenager.
“This third hair transplant is the final piece in the jigsaw and I won’t require any further surgery.
Chris before and after his first hair transplant
“I can wear my hair any way that I want and feel completely happy and confident about my appearance. The self-confidence these procedures have given me has been priceless.”
Chris, who will return to screens alongside friend Stephen Webb this Friday (February 23) for a new series Gogglebox, says he is still haunted by the homophobic bullying he suffered as a child.
“It all came down to the fact that I was the camp boy at school. They called me Chrissy Sissy and created deep insecurities about my appearance that remain to this day,” he says.
“I have always wanted to defy those bullies by looking as good as I could and I definitely didn’t want to be completely bald like my dad.
Chris covering up his hair loss with a wig
“I am lucky that the whole hair transplant industry has been transformed in the last ten years and you can now get a beautiful natural look and keep hold of your hair.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that I look ten years younger as a result of the procedures and it has completely changed my life.”
Chris underwent his first hair transplant procuedure two years ago to fill out the front of his hairline.
He went under the knife at Crown Clinic again a year later in anticipation of his wedding to long-term boyfriend Tony Butland last July.
Chris before and after his second hair transplant
Chris, whose new hair will take a year to fully grow back, had what will be his last transplant last week at Crown Clinic in Manchester.
He explained: “I don’t think I will need any further treatment and, to be honest, my donor hair is running low so I would struggle to have another procedure.
“I could have avoided having so much surgery by taking the hair loss drug Finasteride by I am not keen on putting chemicals in my body and I am too lazy to take a tablet every day.”
Dr Shahmalak, whose other celebrity patients include Calum Best, and TV doctor Christian Jessen, said of his work: “Hair transplants are transforming the lives of so many men.
A close-up of Chris Butland-Steed undergoing surgery
“You can look years younger for the same price as upgrading your car. It is money very well spent.”
He added: “I see lots of celebrities who would rather keep their treatment secret but it is wonderful when a patient is happy to share their story like Chris.
Crown Clinic says that bookings have increased by 25% in the last five years, with experts saying that men have been inspired by hair profile hair transplant patients like Wayne Rooney and Calum Best.