Gail Porter, the woman who is almost single-handedly responsible for raising public awareness of female hair loss has been honoured this week with an award for her charity work.
As most people know, Gail, a former TV presenter famed for her long, blonde locks, started losing her hair in 2005 when filming in the US. She was diagnosed with alopecia areata, which she believes was triggered by the stress of a divorce from then-husband Dan Hipgrave in late 2004.
Gail lost all of her hair, but refused to hide her condition with hats or wigs. She wanted to raise awareness of female hair loss and subsequently became an ambassador for the Little Princess Trust, a charity which supplies human hair wigs to children who have lost their hair after cancer treatment.
The former Live and Kicking presenter is also involved with numerous other charity projects such as breast cancer charity Pretty in Pink, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Marie Curie Cancer Care and anti-poverty organisation Action Aid.
For all of her inspirational work and personal triumphs, Gail Porter has been nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award at the 2010 Bighearted Scotland Awards. The event will be held in September.