An agency boss who provides ring girls for boxing matches and frequents red carpet dos with the likes of Floyd Mayweather nearly paid for her permanent olive tan with her sight after years of using sunbeds without safety goggles.
Keen to warn anyone using tanning beds of the importance of following safety procedures, mum-of-four Cheryl Wilson, 40, told of her horror when her optician revealed in April that her “foggy vision” was the result of a cataract-like growth in her right eye that would have left her partially blind if it went untreated.
Forced to have surgery earlier this month, as a result of the prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light during her bi-weekly 15-minute tanning sessions, Cheryl, who is known to her friends as Chell Bell, of Romford, Essex, said: “Losing part of your sight is terrifying, I felt like I was in a different world.”
She added: “I wish I’d realised the danger of using sunbeds without goggles.
“Now I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve been through.
“I’m terrified of leaving the house and I’m filled with anxiety thinking about going out in the sun.”
As owner of an agency providing the ring girls who climb into the boxing ring between bouts holding up placards to show the number of the upcoming round, Cheryl has rubbed shoulders with champion boxers like Anthony Joshua, Frank Bruno and Joe Egan for years.
Always immaculately turned out and with a perfect tan, Cheryl, who does not want to name her partner and dad to her children Callum, 22, Ashleigh, 19, Bailey, 14, and Frankie, 12, says her life has now changed dramatically.
She said: “I’ve had to take a step back from my life. I have been in this industry, in the glitz and glamour and regularly on the red carpet for years, but now I can’t leave the house.”
Cheryl added: “I can’t enjoy getting dolled up, putting a nice dress on and nice shoes, as I’m not up to it since my surgery. It’s awful.
“I’m quite a glamorous woman, so it’s been quite hard for me, as I can’t even wear make up for at least a month.”
Luckily, the 20-minute operation Cheryl had privately at SpaMedica in Romford to replace her right eye lens with an artificial one was successful.
But the surgery came at a far greater cost to her confidence.
She said: “If I hadn’t had the operation, I would have lost my sight in that eye completely within weeks as I could only see silhouettes by then. Thank God I went to the optician when I did.
“On the day of my surgery, I was really scared, as I was on my own and all I kept thinking was that I was going to be blind.
“It really scared me. I was petrified.”
She added: “But now I can’t wash my hair properly as I can’t get any water on my face for a month after the surgery. And I can’t wear make up for another three weeks.
“I have a beauty regime, so it’s been tough.
“I feel like my confidence has been really hit.
“I love putting on make up and using eyelash extensions. Now I can’t go to any events because I don’t want to go looking like this.”
Cheryl had occasionally used sunbeds throughout her entire adult life, but around March she ramped up her visits to twice a week, as she wanted to have the perfect look in time for summer.
She started noticing an issue with her vision in March.
Initially, she struggled to drive at night, due to the beaming lights of oncoming vehicles.
But, by the end of that month, she found even going out during the day really unpleasant, as she became so sensitive to light.
Thinking it was caused by the eyelash extensions she wore, she went to the optician thinking she would just need some eye drops.
She said: “I wear eyelash extensions, so I thought it had irritated my eye.”
Cheryl added: “The blurry vision and sensitivity came and went, but then it came back after a couple of days.
“Then it kept getting worse and worse, to the point I couldn’t drive in the daytime or at night and I could barely even read, as the letters kept getting foggier.”
Then she was devastated when tests in April revealed she had suffered severe UV light damage to both eyes, with her right eye requiring immediate surgery.
She added: “I was just completely devastated.
“I couldn’t believe this could happen because of not wearing goggles when using sunbeds.
“I genuinely didn’t think it was a big deal.”
The surgery was especially traumatic, despite the “brilliant care” from her doctors, as she was awake throughout.
Recalling the operation, she said: “The surgery was horrific, I was awake throughout. I ended up crying so much because I never imagined in my life that I’d be going through this.
“They clamped my eye open and I was just watching it all happen. I was panicking.”
She added: “Emotionally and mentally it was really draining, and I just wish I’d realised what I was doing when I decided not to wear the goggles.”
While Cheryl is grateful that her vision was saved, she says she will have to face the consequences of not wearing goggles for the rest of her life.
She said: “I’m never going on a sunbed again and I feel incredibly nervous to go anywhere hot where the sun’s out, because I don’t know how much more damage my eyes can take.”
Cheryl added: “I’ve become so anxious and worried all the time.
“Any plans to go to Spain or to a beach have been cancelled until I find out how my eyes are. I have to be careful.
“I feel nervous about going out in the sun, and I’m a sun worshipper. But that’s all changed now. This all makes me panic.”
Cheryl is hoping to raise awareness and encourage sunbed users to take eye health more seriously and for all tanning salons to hammer home the safety message to customers.
She said: “Please wear the goggles, because it can have a devastating effect on your life if you don’t.
“What’s happened to me can happen to anyone.”
Gary Lipman, chairman of The Sunbed Association – the voice for the industry – stressed the importance of following safety guidelines when using tanning beds.
He said: “It is absolutely essential that all sunbed users wear appropriate protective eyewear when using a sunbed – and the same should apply when sunbathing.
“Simply closing your eyelids or covering the eyes is not sufficient to protect them from ultraviolet light, as it can penetrate the eyelid skin. It is a requirement of the British Standard that covers sunbeds that appropriate protective eyewear is worn throughout the tanning session.”
And he added: “Anyone seeking correct advice and information about using a sunbed responsibly should use a salon in membership of The Sunbed Association, where staff are properly trained to screen customers to check for any contra-indications to tanning and ensure they are informed about all aspects of responsible tanning, including the necessity of wearing appropriate protective eyewear.”
