Melinda Messenger has slammed the “ageist” reaction to her new grey hair.
The former glamour model revealed she had ditched her trademark blonde for a more natural look this week.
But the 51-year-old was taken aback by some people’s reaction to it – and said some had been less than complimentary.
Taking to Instagram, Melinda told fans: “Hello loves. So I had some feedback on my picture of my grey hair, which is coming through slowly but it’s getting there, and the fact that I wasn’t wearing any make-up, which is bizarre.
“There were some really lovely comments - and then lots of very anti-ageing comments.
“‘Oh my god you look so old’ and ‘It just adds years to you’, and it’s just this thing about ageing that some people seem to be really against when it’s such a natural thing and God willing, something we all get to experience.”
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The star continued: “It’s happening for everyone so why be so against it, it’s very peculiar.”
Posting more snaps debuting her new natural look, the TV presenter called going back to her roots an “act of self love”.
Addressing her 70,000 Instagram followers, she wrote: “I used to feel that I had to look a certain way, that I needed make-up and nice hair especially if I was going to be seen out in public."
She added: “What I’ve come to understand is that it was because I didn’t really value who I was.
“It’s taken me 51 years to see that I was always good enough (we all are) so I don’t want to spend the next years of life feeling I have to be anything other than just myself. I have finally given myself permission to just be.”
The mum-of-three, who lives in Berkshire and is training to be a psychotherapist, explained: “This doesn’t mean I’m not ever going to get a treatment or go out all done up.
“I will, but I will do that because it’s fun and because I want to. Not because I don’t feel OK about myself just as I am.
“That way I tell the child inside of me, I love you just as you are so she can get on with the proper business of playing and loving life.”
She ended the post with the hashtags #silversisters #greyhairtransition #letyourselfgo.
Melinda rose to fame after she was spotted on a billboard for a windows company in Swindon in 1997, and went on to work as a Page 3 girl and glamour model.
She later carved out a career in TV and went on to present shows such as Fort Boyard, Live From Studio Five and Cowboy Builders.
She has also appeared on reality shows Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing On Ice and Celebrity First Dates.
The star was married to ex-husband Wayne Roberts from 1998 until they broke up in 2012.
They share three children – Flynn, Morgan and Evie – who are aged late teens to early twenties.
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