'I'm a beautiful person whether my hair is shedding or not'

In a candid open letter, Emmerdale star Laura Norton talks about her 20-year battle with hair loss and gives her advice to those going through the same thing

Many of us see our hair as our crowning glory and conditions that lead to its loss can have a devastating impact on self-confidence and self-esteem.

Emmerdale actress Laura Norton, 38, can relate to the emotional toll it takes, having lived with hair loss for 20 years.

But she also knows it is far more widely experienced than most people believe - and you can do something about it.

Here, she talks about her shedding and her journey to finally accepting herself with or without hair...

A journey of hair loss can be such a personal, private and devastating experience. The classic "Don't mention it or you'll draw attention to it" chestnut leaves us insecure and dealing with it alone. And because you don't want to talk about it, you think it's just you. And because it's just you, you don't know how to fix it, so you just accept it (or try fads you read on the internet).

I think the pressures in this Instagram-filtered world make everyone strive for perfection and not want to talk about the fact that our hair, part of what's supposed to make us "beautiful", is actually falling out. So, here I am, opening the conversation and hopefully imparting a little bit of wisdom on the subject.

I have suffered hair loss on and off since 16, when I started using synthetic hormones to control my horrendous periods. What they never told me was certain pills are testosterone-heavy and attack hair follicles, making hair get thinner and weaker, then fall out.

After years of ups and downs, falling out, growing back and so on, I reached a peak. I got my dream job playing Kerry Wyatt on Emmerdale and-boom - my hair was falling out in clumps. Thanks, universe, great timing!

It wasn't great for the old self-esteem. I was at crisis point so I decided to take proper action with professional help.