England cricket legend Phil Tufnell has had a hair transplant to help his “confidence” in front of the camera as he prepares for a big summer of cricket.
The 56-year-old TV and radio presenter was far from bald but wanted to patch up his barnet ahead of the Ashes and had the £4,000 procedure at DHI Global clinic in London’s Harley Street.
“It has been thinning and receding for quite a while,” he said of his hair. “And I have thin hair anyway. I want to get something done about it before it’s too late.”
He had a ‘lunch-hour’ transplant which required minimal procedure and he did not need to undergo surgery or shave his remaining hair.
“They just take hair from the back and then patch it in,” he said. “There is no shaving. They take the follicles one by one. There is hardly any disturbance and it looks natural.”
Tufnell, a bowler for England until 2001, joins a growing list of sports stars to have had hair work – with Antonio Conte, Wayne Rooney and Jurgen Klopp having also had treatment.
The former Question of Sport captain said the procedure took three or four hours and was 99 per cent pain free.
He added: “I’ve got a big summer coming up with the Ashes and I’ll be on telly, in front of the camera. So, I suppose there was a lack of confidence.
“You just want a nicer head of hair and DHI do it brilliantly and without a lot of fuss. It’s so straightforward, so easy, and I could not recommend it any more.”
“It takes around six months for the new hair to really start showing and around nine months before the full effects are evident,” he continued.
“So I should be looking my best with the hair fully restored when we take on Australia in the summer.
“I am really excited to show off my new barnet just as the boys start the series. The England team is playing brilliantly under Ben Stokes and it should be a really exciting summer.”
