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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

Sarah Beeny wants to change stereotype of cancer patients feeling 'ashamed' of being bald

Sarah Beeny has spoken about having shaved her head after being diagnosed with cancer, saying that she now wants to challenge shame that's associated with baldness.

The entrepreneur, 50 - who is known for fronting property development shows like Property Ladder - announced in August that she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The presenter - who began chemotherapy a few months ago - cut off some of her hair prior to treatment and has since embraced going bald whilst she is undergoing such.

She's now keen to "change [the] stereotype" around baldness, saying people can feel "ashamed" or be perceived as "victims" - though she wants to challenge such ideas.

Sarah Beeny, pictured in one of her wigs, shaved her head after starting chemotherapy (Instagram)
She had initially cut her hair short (pictured), after her breast cancer diagnosis (Instagram)

Speaking to the Daily Mail 's Weekend magazine, she said people with no hair are often seen as "victims" and added that cancer patients are often "ashamed" to go bald.

Sarah said a lack of hair can be associated with victimhood and punishment, citing examples like Fantine in Les Misérables and Game of Thrones' Cersei Lannister.

She said: "People are ashamed of their bald heads. [...] 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".

Sarah - who debuted her shaved head in photos for the outlet - said: "I don't want to be ashamed. I don't want other people to feel ashamed. I want to change that stereotype."

She had initially cut her hair short with the help of her sons Billy, 18, Charlie, 16, Raffey 14, and Laurie, 13. She posted about the experience on Instagram back in August.

Sarah had been helped to cut her hair by her four children (sarah.beeny/Instagram)
She sent locks of her hair to charity The Little Princess Trust (sarah.beeny/Instagram)

She announced that she had donated her locks to charity the Little Princess Trust, which provides real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair.

Just a few weeks later, Sarah revealed on the social media platform that she had shaved her head after her hair began to fall out in clumps amid chemotherapy.

Discussing the experience with Weekend magazine, she said that it was "really traumatic" when her hair began to fall out after she had started the treatment following her diagnosis.

She recalled that she cried over it and said that she ended up shaving her head shortly afterwards. She has since tattooed her eyebrows in case they fall out in the future.

She later decided to shave her head after clumps of hair fell out amid chemotherapy (Instagram)
Sarah, pictured in February, doesn't want people to feel 'ashamed' of being bald (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

She recently stated in a post on Instagram that she is "enjoying the hair liberation before it all grows back".

According to the outlet, the property developer revealed that she ended up shaving her head using clippers that are usually reserved for trimming the family's cockapoo Maple.

Sarah - who now has a collection of wigs at home - said that her cancer is fast growing, but explained that there is no evidence that it has spread to her lymph nodes.

And she is said to have been keeping busy with various projects, including working on a new book about her life as well as a Channel 4 documentary about her cancer.

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