'He almost ripped it off!' Gogglebox star Chris Steed reveals how losing his WIG 'in the midst of passion' spurred him on to have a £10,000 hair transplant 

  • Chris wore wigs and toupées to cover up after began losing hair aged 18
  • Revealed he was in the 'midst of passion' when a man pulled his wig off 
  • The star of Channel 4 show had 2,000 grafts implanted into his crown 

Gogglebox favourite Chris Steed has revealed he chose to have a £10,000 hair transplant after his wig was ripped off during sex.

The reality TV star, who appears on the hit Channel 4 show with his ex-boyfriend Stephen Webb, began losing his hair aged just 18 and wore £500 wigs and toupées for years to hide his baldness.

The Brighton hairdresser, 40, admitted his wig being accidentally pulled off while he was in the 'midst of passion' was the last straw.

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AFTER: Chris Steed, pictured before (left) and after (right) the procedure, went under the knife and had 2,000 hair grafts transplanted into his balding crown - costing a whopping £10,000

AFTER: Chris Steed, pictured before (left) and after (right) the procedure, went under the knife and had 2,000 hair grafts transplanted into his balding crown - costing a whopping £10,000

BEFORE: Chris Steed started losing his hair at the age of 18 and went on to disguise it with a series of toupees and wigs before deciding that he wanted a permanent solution

BEFORE: Chris Steed started losing his hair at the age of 18 and went on to disguise it with a series of toupees and wigs before deciding that he wanted a permanent solution

He told the Daily Star Sunday: 'There was one very embarrassing incident.

I was getting it on with a guy and he started running his fingers through my hair and he sort of almost ripped it off my head.

'It was really awful. I was getting into the midst of passion and the last thing you expect is for someone to rip your hair off.' 

Mr Steed turned to a series of 'embarrassing' wigs to conceal his balding hair. 

It was the second hair transplant Mr Steed had in the last five years - all in the hopes of sporting a full head of hair for his upcoming nuptials to landscape gardener Tony Butland, 46.

Chris shows off the result of his £10,000 hair transplant as he poses with his miniature dachshunds Rusty (left) and Buddy (right)

Chris shows off the result of his £10,000 hair transplant as he poses with his miniature dachshunds Rusty (left) and Buddy (right)

The operation, which used the follicular unit extraction (FUE) method which Wayne Rooney also opted for, has left Chris with a full head of hair

Mr Steed, who claims he now feels 'ten years younger', said: 'I had significant baldness around my crown and this new procedure has filled in all those gaps. 

'My first procedure was around the front of my scalp and my hairline.

'I started losing my hair at a very early age and would be as bald as a coot now, just like my dad.

'As a hairdresser, I am acutely aware of the importance of having great hair and looking good. It can be heart-breaking and shatter your self-esteem.'

Mr Steed had his most recent procedure at Crown Clinic in Manchester, after Christmas, with surgeon Asim Shahmalak whose celebrity clients include Calum Best and the TV doctor Christian Jessen. 

It was the second hair transplant Mr Steed had in the last five years, pictured here revealing the latest results

It was the second hair transplant Mr Steed had in the last five years, pictured here revealing the latest results

The reality star pictured with a swollen face immediately after the procedure

The reality star pictured during the procedure (left) and with a swollen face immediately after (right)

He had the same follicular unit extraction (FUE) method used by England captain Wayne Rooney where grafts are removed individually from the back of the scalp and transplanted into the balding area.

Mr Steed has starred on Gogglebox since the show started three years ago - sharing his views on the week's TV with his former boyfriend Stephen Webb, who is also a hairdresser.

He had previously worn £500 wigs and toupées for years to cover up his baldness.

But he quit using them because he was damaging his remaining hair by gluing the hairpieces to his scalp.

He had his first hair transplant procedure five years ago - 2,700 grafts in the front of his scalp.

Mr Steed previously wore £500 wigs (pictured in his late teens) and toupées for years to cover up his baldness

Mr Steed previously wore £500 wigs (pictured in his late teens) and toupées for years to cover up his baldness

He quit using wigs because he was damaging his remaining hair by gluing the hairpieces to his scalp
Mr Steed showcasing one of his former wigs

However he quit using them because he was damaging his remaining hair by gluing the hairpieces to his scalp, pictured here showcasing two of his former wigs

After finding fame on TV, he decided to have a second procedure just prior to his 40th birthday - this time focusing further back, around his crown and mid-scalp area.

I can remember one man almost getting the surprise of his life when my wig almost came off in his hand 

Mr Steed said: 'I have suffered the devastating consequences of hair loss for the last 20 years. It was fun wearing the wigs for a time because they looked amazing but they are not a long-term solution.

'You damage your hair gluing them on and they can have embarrassing consequences and come off at the wrong times.

 'I can remember one man almost getting the surprise of his life when it almost came off in his hand.

He added: 'I realised the only long-term solution to my problem was a hair transplant.

'I was really pleased with my first procedure, and after Gogglebox became such a success I decided to have a second procedure.

'I chose the surgeon Asim Shahmalak because he had done such an amazing job with Calum Best who is gorgeous and has wonderful hair.

Mr Steed was picked to take part in Gogglebox at the start of its run due to his fun personality, pictured here with his co-star and ex-boyfirend Stephen Webb

Mr Steed was picked to take part in Gogglebox at the start of its run due to his fun personality, pictured here with his co-star and ex-boyfirend Stephen Webb

He has since become engaged to landscape gardener Tony Butland (left), pictured here together celebrating Mr Butland's proposal at the Empire State Building

He has since become engaged to landscape gardener Tony Butland (left), pictured here together celebrating Mr Butland's proposal at the Empire State Building

The couple, pictured with TV doctor Christian Jessen who has also had a hair transplant at the same clinic

The couple, pictured with TV doctor Christian Jessen who has also had a hair transplant at the same clinic

Mr Steed had the transplant during a break in filming Gogglebox just after Christmas and then returned to the last series with his head shaved where they had taken the donor hair for the procedure. He wore a baseball cap to cover it up while his hair grew back.

He remarked: I had messages on Twitter from fans asking if he had cancer because I was wearing the cap - they thought I might have lost my hair through chemotherapy.

'Well, the truth is that I have had a hair transplant and I am very happy to make that clear. 

'The technology has improved so much that you cannot tell if a person has had anything done. I am a hairdresser and even I cannot tell unless I have known the client before the procedure.'

Dr Shahmalak said: 'Hair transplants have never been more popular - particularly amongst celebrities who need to look good to stay in the public eye. You can completely change your appearance for the same cost as upgrading your car.' 

He has seen a 25 percent rise in bookings in the last few years due to the 'Rooney effect' - men inspired by the England captain boosting their hair with a transplant.

Mr Steed, pictured with Mr Butland before the transplant, had the procedure during a break in filming Gogglebox just after Christmas and then returned to the last series with his head shaved

Mr Steed, pictured with Mr Butland before the transplant, had the procedure during a break in filming Gogglebox just after Christmas and then returned to the last series with his head shaved

He was picked for Gogglebox by a producer who went to the salon Mr Steed, pictured after the transplant, worked at

He was picked for Gogglebox by a producer who went to the salon Mr Steed, pictured after the transplant, worked at

Mr Steed remarked, 'The technology has improved so much that you cannot tell if a person has had anything done. I am a hairdresser'
He added, 'even I cannot tell unless I have known the client before the procedure'

He said, 'The technology has improved so much that you cannot tell if a person has had anything done. I am a hairdresser and even I cannot tell unless I have known the client before the procedure'

Mr Steed, who also has Botox every three months, was picked to take part in Gogglebox at the start due to his fun personality after one of the producers visited the hair salon where he was working.

He got his then-boyfriend Mr Webb to join him on the sofa, but they split up soon after the show started.

They remain great friends and film all the shows in the living room of Chris's bungalow in Hove.

Mr Webb, 44, will be at Chris's wedding to landscape gardener Mr Butland who proposed to him at the top of the Eiffel Tower on a romantic getaway to Paris in September last year. 

Mr Webb got engaged to his new boyfriend, Daniel Lustig, also a hairdresser, at around the same time.

Mr Steed said: 'I am so excited about the wedding, it is going to be the happiest day of my life. I am thrilled that my hair will be looking good in the wedding pictures.'

 

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