WATCH NICKY'S CHALLENGE ON OUR EXCLUSIVE FABULOUS VIDEO: TO HELP CORRIE HOLT LOOK AND FEEL HER BEST

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Corrie Holt has spent the last nine years fighting a rare form of chest cancer.

Since the age of 11 she’s endured three cycles of chemotherapy, which left her feeling exhausted, weak and nauseous.

But one of the most difficult side effects was losing her hair after 
each bout of chemo.

“Two weeks after the treatment started, my scalp became unbearably itchy,” recalls Corrie, now 20.

“As I scratched it, my hair came out in big clumps.”

One day later, Corrie was completely bald.

“I was heartbroken but determined it wouldn’t get me down,” she says. “So I got a fantastic wig and went back to school.

“Fourteen months ago, I had chemo again and I decided I had to take charge,” she says.

“When my hair started falling out, I shaved it off straightaway and covered my head with a bandana.”

Corrie, from Newcastle, is now on the mend and will soon be fulfilling her dream of becoming a student nurse.

But her other wish seemed impossible.

“I’ve lived with a bald head or short tufty hair for so long, I’d love to have hair I could style,” she admits.

“Chemo has turned my hair into a curly mop that’s impossible to manage.”

Luckily, TV stylist Nicky Hambleton-Jones has a plan.

“Today is about making Corrie feel great,” she says.

“First, we used hair extensions from a company called Racoon.

"They’re made from real hair, so they look natural and are easier to style.

" And to complete her new look, this sexy satin dress really makes the most of her great figure.”

Corrie’s Verdict: “I love having hair I can style, and my new dress is fantastic too. I haven’t felt this full of life for years.”

For more tips read Top To Toe by Nicky Hambleton-Jones (Hodder & Stoughton, £16.99).

 

NICKY ON HAIR “Victoria Beckham made long hair extensions stylish but they can also be used to achieve short, chic haircuts like Corrie’s.”

 

Dress, £100, Monsoon (0870 412 9000), Earrings, £15, Diva at Miss Selfridge (0845 121 4517), Bangle, £8, Freedom at Topshop (0845 121 4519), Shoes, £65, Nine West (020 7079 7586)

Words: Georgia Barlow. Photography: Lancton. Backstage Photography: Abbie Trayler-Smith. Hair: Helen Stratoudakis, Racoon Artistic Team and Iain Sallis A.I.T. Consultant Trichologist for Racoon International. Products: Racoon-Xtend Range. Make-Up: Armand Beasley at www.armandinternationalltd.com. Assisted by Christiana Trigo for Clinique. Thanks to Hull and York Nuffield Hospitals.