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"It is what it is": Home and Away star shares secret diagnosis

<p>Aussie actor Kyle Shilling has shared the details of a secret health battle, after fans were quick to point out his unusual appearance.</p> <p>Shilling, who plays Mali Hudson on <em>Home and Away</em>, took to his Instagram story to address the complaints about his facial hair.</p> <p>After Friday night's episode of the Channel Seven soap, social media was flooded with comments about his patchy beard, with one person writing, “I wish Mali would shave his beard line along his jaw rather than halfway up it."</p> <p>“It’s all I can see whenever he’s on screen. Very distracting.”</p> <p>“Thanks, that’s all I’m gonna see now too,” wrote another.</p> <p>Shilling responded to the comments, revealing his recent diagnosis with alopecia. </p> <p>“For all those <em>Home and Away</em> fans complaining about my beard line,” he wrote.</p> <p>“Not too long ago I was diagnosed with alopecia on the beard region, mainly my neck. Alopecia is a hair loss disease which can be caused by stress."</p> <p>“The makeup team on<em> Home and Away</em> do the best they can to help cover this ‘insecurity’ I now have."</p> <p>“It should grow back eventually, but for now it is what it is.”</p> <p>He added, “I’m not asking for sympathy, as it could be a lot worse.</p> <p>“I’m simply shedding light on alopecia so people have an understanding about it. Thanks fam.”</p> <p>In a follow-up message, he wrote. "Because of my recent story about alopecia, I've received an overwhelming amount of messages. Majority are from people who have gone through it with a worse experience. big love to you all, keep on keeping on."</p> <p>"This is a reminder not to openly say something about someone's appearance, as you may not know what the reason behind it is. Think before you judge."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Seven</em></p>

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Chris Rock opens up about THAT slap

<p dir="ltr">It was the slap that was heard all around the world and had tongues wagging.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chris Rock, who was slapped in the face at the Oscars by Will Smith after making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head (who suffers from alopecia), has spoken about the assault.</p> <p dir="ltr">While headlining stand-up shows in New York and New Jersey, Rock spoke about the infamous slap which “hurt like a motherf***er”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yeah, that sh*t hurt, motherf***er – but I shook that sh*t off and went to work the next day,” he said onstage while performing with Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Anyone who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Rock then proceeded to call out those who said he was a victim, and who made a bigger deal out of the slap than necessary.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not a victim, motherf***er. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”</p> <p dir="ltr">This is the first time Rock has publicly addressed the slap which saw movies that were set to feature Will either <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/is-this-the-end-of-will-smith-s-career" target="_blank" rel="noopener">postponed or shelved</a> following his assault on the comedian.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the Oscars, Smith shocked the crowd and viewers across the world when he stood up from his seat, walked across the stage and slapped Rock before sitting back down.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” Rock said as Smith walked off.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith then yelled back, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The only time Rock actually mentioned the slap was during a show in May at the UK’s Royal Albert Hall.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m OK, if anybody was wondering. I got most of my hearing back,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“People expect me to talk about the bullsh*t. I’m not going to talk about it right now. I’ll get to it eventually – on Netflix."</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith took to Instagram a few days after the assault and publicly apologised to Rock for slapping him on-stage.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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What it is like to date as a bald woman

<p>A 42-year-old woman with alopecia has revealed the harsh reality of dating when bald.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/author/bianca-young/">Bianca Young</a></span></strong>, a fashion designer, ambassador for Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation and mentor for Urban Heart, wrote a heartfelt piece for <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/bianca-young/what-its-like-to-be-a-bald-woman-in-the-dating-world_a_23260066/">Huffington Post</a></span></strong> to raise awareness about what life is like for people with alopecia – especially the difficulties in finding love in a sometimes shallow dating world.</p> <p>The piece starts: “I first got Alopecia Areata 10 years ago after having viral meningitis. It was a huge shock.</p> <p>My hair grew back but, unfortunately, Alopecia made a return a year later and left me with a patchy bald head. Soon after, I shaved my head and started living my life as a bald woman with Alopecia Areata.</p> <p>The grieving that followed was indescribable.</p> <p>I looked in the mirror and was mortified at what I saw looking back at me. I no longer knew who I was. The image I had known as 'me' for as long as I remember was gone. Something very different, something very confronting was staring back at me.</p> <p>Every time I left the house, people stared at me. It crushed my soul.”</p> <p>Bianca then speaks about how incredibly difficult it is to be a bald woman dating.</p> <p>“As a single woman, I started to tell myself that I was doomed to be alone forever. Who could wake up beside a bald woman and think she was a catch? I didn't have any hair. My femininity had left the building. And just like that I was no longer soft. I felt flawed and undesirable.</p> <p>After much misery, I realised I had two choices. I could crumble and never leave the house, become a mere shadow of who I once was. My other choice was to saddle up, after all this was who I was now and not a lot was going to change.</p> <p>So, I decided to throw myself out into the online dating world and begin my journey as a woman with Alopecia Areata. It was uncomfortable and I risked a lot of painful rejection and judgment. I felt the fear but did it regardless.</p> <p>I was honest and positive, and as I said the words over and over again, "I have Alopecia Areata", it started feeling like it was a part of me -- no longer foreign and surreal. In fact, my Tinder profile reads: "All photos are recent. I shave my head, I don't have cancer, I have Alopecia. I am at peace with who I am if you aren't that's ok, keep swiping, thanks for stopping by."</p> <p>It sparked lots of questions, but also took an interesting turn and taught me a lesson or two in self-love and expression.</p> <p>Some men were completely turned off by me not having hair. Some were shallow, even rude and hurtful. But I was also complimented for my courage and bravery. Many people were empowered and inspired to talk to me, just to say hello. I ended up with friends and kind people to chat to and people who were genuinely interested in me in as a person. The rest just kept swiping by.</p> <p>I am still single, so although my 'dating experiment' did not result in finding 'the one', I learnt to love myself again. It gave me the space to experiment being the new me and helped me come to peace with my Alopecia.</p> <p>I hope that by sharing my story I can get people to appreciate what it is like living with Alopecia Areata. I don't think there is a woman alive who doesn't like to feel feminine and beautiful. When you take away a part of your gender make up that plays a huge part of who you are as a woman, it's heartbreaking.</p> <p>I want people living with Alopecia to be classed as normal and to be accepted. People's reactions, comments and stares were one of the hardest things to deal with during the early part of my Alopecia journey. It was hard enough leaving the house each day without being the target for stares and disgust.</p> <p>But most of all, I hope that my story will empower people in situations similar to me.</p> <p>Today, I am proud to say that on pretty much a daily basis, I can wake up and look in the mirror and feel happy to be me. It is crazy to think I am at this stage, after all that I have been through. It has taken lots of mental strength and resilience but I couldn't be happier.</p> <p>When life throws you lemons, you make lemonade, right?”</p>

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