A couple from the hit ITV reality show The Real Housewives of Cheshire are hoping to break down an "old-fashioned stigma" surrounding male hair loss. Rachel Lugo recently shocked fans of show when she surprised boyfriend Nick Smith with a hair transplant for his 52nd birthday.
An episode aired at the end of last month showed Rachel contemplating the idea with her friends and co-stars Lauren Simon and Hanna Kinsella. She revealed his present to him during a birthday bash at The Colony in Wilmslow, and Nick was delighted with the gift.
Previously, Rachel and Nick had kept their relationship relatively private on the show, with Nick appearing in just several episodes before series 15. However, the rolling of cameras during his birthday celebrations saw him take centre stage and in Monday night's episode he was seen going for the treatment with Rachel by his side at MHR Clinic in Knutsford whose clients have included former Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt.
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Nick plays rugby and cricket for local clubs and has spoken of how receptive his teammates and friends have been to him undergoing the treatment, despite the "odd bit of banter." He hopes the episode on September 26 will provide a platform to help tackle the stigma associated with balding and hair treatment among men.
“Around 95-per-cent of Rachel’s followers, which are in their hundreds of thousands, are women. However I’m always amazed by how many men recognise her when we’re out in public,” Nick said.
“A lot of them watch the show with their partners, meaning the show does have a fairly large male audience, so I was more than happy to get involved when they asked if I would allow them to film my surgery."
He continued: "Traditionally, there’s been a real old-fashioned stigma attached to men undergoing hair restoration treatment. But it’s really no different to women undergoing minor cosmetic procedures, so why should men be any different?
“I’m a big supporter of men’s mental health too and while, fortunately, it isn’t something I have suffered with personally, I do have friends that suffer from mental health issues and it can be triggered by all manner of things, including ageing."
He added: “My thought process was, if I can even inspire one other person who maybe suffers with mental health because of their hair or appearance to speak about it and go for a consultation, then I’m all for it, 100 per-cent.”
He said about the reaction from his teammates: “I have pretty broad shoulders anyway, so I was just going into the changing rooms and the rugby club and saying to the boys, 'you know how I have this massive forehead? Well it’s going to change, I’m having a hair transplant!’
"So, I’ve had a bit of banter and they’ve given me a bit of stick, which I expected. But afterwards the one-to-one conversations have very much been 'oh you jammy git, I could do with one of those! Where’d you go?'"
Rachel said: “Anyone who knows Nick will know he is a confident guy and a 'man’s man' however he had mentioned a couple of times that he felt his hair was receding and thinning, and that was enough for me to realise he felt a little bit insecure about it, so I just went ahead and booked it." She added: "We had offers to go to Turkey, but we wanted to keep everything local and we’re so glad we did."
Nick, who is still undergoing fortnightly laser treatment, is looking forward to seeing the end result. “It’s been 12 weeks now since I’ve had the treatment and I’m starting to see the growth coming through," he said.
"I’m amazed when I turn up for a game of cricket or a game of football, the lads are like 'let’s have a look at your hair' and I have to pull the front back so they can have a look at it."
He added: "I think Rachel is right when she said there’s less of a stigma now among men but we still need to do more to debunk some of the myths associated with it and to raise awareness of its mental and physical benefits, so it’s been great to be able to shine a light on this through the show.”
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