Gail Porter | Source: Getty Images

Gail Porter, 55, Revealed Heartbreaking Swipe from Katie Price Over Her Appearance Amid Rare Illness Battle – Her Story and 15+ Before-and-After Photos

Apr 22, 2026

05:36 A.M.

One comment, shared quietly under a social media post last week, stopped many in their tracks. Scroll down to see the full story of the woman at the centre of it, and her remarkable journey through the years in photos.

The moment unfolded beneath a seemingly unrelated video posted to Instagram by The Sun last Thursday, 16 April. The outlet was reporting on Katie Price's husband, Lee Andrews, who had revealed plans for a second wedding ceremony following their whirlwind February nuptials — a marriage that came after just one week of romance.

Andrews also claimed he intended to move to the UK in May, a development that raised eyebrows given earlier reports that Price had been set to relocate to Dubai to join him.

Those plans had since collapsed, with Price confirming she would remain in the UK. Adding further complexity to the situation, it had been reported that Andrews was unable to leave Dubai due to fraud charges — claims he has strongly denied.

None of that, however, was what caught people's attention in the comments. Beneath the video, beloved TV personality Gail Porter quietly shared a memory that many found deeply upsetting.

"I remember meeting her with one of her other boyfriends… and she said to him.. 'Google Gail when she used to be pretty when she had hair,'" Porter wrote.

The comment spread rapidly, with viewers rushing to Porter's defence.

"That's disgusting but not surprising coming from her horrible narcissistic mouth. You're far more beautiful woman inside and out than she will ever be ❤️," one commenter declared passionately.

"And now she has hair loss and thinning. Glass houses & stones. 🤨," another pointedly observed.

"She said what wow, that's actually disgusting," a third gasped. "She truly is a vile person! She's obviously jealous of you! ❤️ x," yet another wrote, rallying firmly behind Porter.

For those unfamiliar with what Porter has been living with, alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. While it is normal to shed up to 100 hairs a day, alopecia refers to significant loss that can signal an underlying condition.

It can affect the scalp, body, and facial hair — including eyebrows and eyelashes — and ranges from patchy thinning to complete hair loss across the entire body.

For Porter, the loss was rapid and total. Speaking on the BBC podcast "All Access" in 2023, she recalled the shock of it:

"When my hair fell out it was so quick, it was four weeks, so I had long blond hair and then four weeks later I was completely bald."

Since then, she has made a conscious decision — partly practical, partly personal — not to wear a wig. "I just couldn't be bothered. My mum had lost her hair through chemotherapy, and I thought, do you know what, me losing my hair from alopecia is nothing to be honest," she explained.

"And my head's quite a good shape, and I'm quite clumsy and I thought I'm the sort of person that would probably take my wig off in a bar, scratch my head, put it back on and then everyone in the bar be traumatised."

Once people grew accustomed to seeing her without hair, she said, it ceased to be a topic at all. "It was just a personal choice. If you want to wear a wig no problem, you want to wear a hat, just do what makes you comfortable. I'm comfortable without it."

That choice occasionally led to awkward encounters. On one flight back from America, where she had been filming "Dead Famous", a flight attendant upgraded her, plied her with champagne and free food, and generally treated her like royalty — only to reveal on landing that she had assumed Porter had cancer.

"What kind of chemotherapy are you going through?" the woman asked. Porter, weighed down with bags of free alcohol, was mortified. "I just went, 'Oh, just the usual' and I felt so bad," she recalled. "You just assumed because I've got no hair."

She has also been open about her experience of being sectioned.

What Porter did not mention was the career cost. In the same "All Access" conversation, she addressed that directly, "People didn't want to go near me for television or anything because I looked different, and they wanted me to wear wigs, which I refused to do."

And when offers did come in, they weren't paid ones. All anyone wanted, she said, was for her to talk about being bald for free.

The humour with which Porter tells these stories is characteristic — but it masks a period of extraordinary hardship. During an emotional appearance on "Loose Women" in 2017, she revealed that she had battled depression and bipolar disorder, had gone through bankruptcy, and had experienced a period of homelessness.

Speaking on "All Access," she reflected on that time with remarkable candour. "I think of sitting on a bench in the pouring rain with no roof over my head with nowhere to go, and I thought yeah, I managed to get through that and I'm still standing so we're all right."

She has also been open about her experience of being sectioned, using her live comedy shows to address the subject and advocate for better mental health care.

"When I was there all they do is give you drugs: drugs in the morning, drugs at lunchtime, drugs in the evening to make sure that you're sedated and you don't cause any problems," she said. "And there's no doctors there; it was just security and that was it. [...] I mean, it's 2023, that's just not right."

Despite everything — the hair loss, the career setbacks, the financial ruin, the mental health battles — Porter has emerged as a figure of warmth, resilience, and disarming honesty.

The comment attributed to Katie Price, then, landed not just as unkind, but as a striking contrast to the woman on the receiving end of it.

1999

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A fresh-faced Gail Porter in her mid-twenties, her straight blonde hair parted in the centre and falling just below her shoulders, smiles brightly in a bold orange and red patterned blazer worn over a black top. Pictured at the "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" royal premiere in London, July 1999.

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The TV personality wears her blonde hair in a neat, close-cropped updo with wispy strands falling across her forehead, dressed in a simple black spaghetti-strap top with a delicate drop necklace resting at her collarbone. Pictured at the Menswear/FHM Awards in London, August 1999.

2000

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Porter stands with her hands clasped in front of her in a plunging black halterneck top and wide-leg trousers, a wide glittering silver cuff on one wrist and a chunky watch on the other, her hair pulled back from her face. Pictured at the 5th MOBO Awards at Alexandra Palace, London, October 2000.

2001

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Then–29-year-old, Porter sits cross-legged on the gleaming white deck of a boat exhibit, relaxed and smiling in a fitted black long-sleeve top and loose-fit jeans, her hair cropped very short and pushed neatly back. Pictured at the London Boat Show, Earls Court, January 2001.

2003

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The star stands full-length on a red carpet in a black satin midi skirt and matching short-sleeved tie-front blouse, completed by knee-high stiletto boots, her shoulder-length blonde hair falling loosely around her face. A small pink awareness ribbon is pinned to her chest. Pictured co-hosting the Breast Cancer Care Fashion Show at the London Hilton on Park Lane, October 2003.

2004

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Porter holds her small daughter Honey on her hip, both clutching a large plush Garfield toy between them. Honey, in a pale blue top and tutu skirt, turns to look at her mother with a wide grin as Porter beams at the cameras. Pictured at the "Garfield" premiere in London's West End, July 2004.

2005

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Porter is photographed outdoors in soft natural daylight, her shoulder-length blonde hair held back by a wide black fabric headband, wearing a black v-neck t-shirt with a small orange badge on the chest. Pictured at the World Vision Hope Breakfast press launch at the Oxo Tower, London, April 2005.

2007

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Large patches of bare scalp are visible across the top and sides of Porter's head, with only sparse, short growth remaining. She wears a black jacket bearing a Fairtrade badge and an Amnesty International "Protect the Human" pin, her expression warm and composed. Pictured at the UK premiere of "Blood Diamond" at the Odeon Leicester Square, London, January 2007.

2010

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Porter's head carries just a faint dusting of platinum blonde fuzz, her features drawn into a knowing half-smile. She wears a black blazer and a bold silver skull pendant necklace. Pictured at the world premiere of "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang" at the Odeon West End, London, March 2010.

2013

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Completely bald and dressed head to toe in black — skinny jeans, a short-sleeved t-shirt and flat pumps — Porter carries a large tasselled leather handbag on one shoulder and a second bag on the other, tinted aviator sunglasses pushed up on her face. A tattoo is visible on her upper arm. Pictured at a book launch at the Sanctum Soho Hotel, London, September 2013.

2016

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A close portrait of Porter, fully bald and without eyebrows, her pale green eyes the focal point of the image against a softly blurred backdrop of Christmas greenery and silver baubles. She wears a black zip-up jacket and a gentle smile. Pictured at the VIP preview of Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London, November 2016.

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2020

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Porter strides out of a building grinning broadly, wearing a long black double-breasted coat over a black top and loose-fit cuffed jeans, finished with chunky multicoloured Nike high-top trainers. She holds a pair of sunglasses in one hand and carries a backpack. Pictured outside ITV Studios, London, January 2020.

2022

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Porter stands on a red carpet beside Director Kathryn Ferguson, who wore in a long black dress, both smiling for the camera. Porter wears a plain black short-sleeved top and trousers, a cross pendant necklace, and a wristband, the "Nothing Compares" logo repeating across the backdrop behind them. Pictured at a special screening of "Nothing Compares" at Picturehouse Central, London, October 2022.

2024

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A close outdoor portrait of Porter, her brow-less face framed by delicate lilac eyeshadow and a fine silver pendant necklace, deep laughter lines crinkling around her eyes as she smiles widely. Pictured at a celebration marking the 900th anniversary of the City of Edinburgh at Edinburgh Castle, July 2024.

2025

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Porter stands full-length on a red carpet in a sleeveless black satin top and wide-leg trousers, her arms — covered in extensive tattoo work from shoulder to wrist — left completely bare. Multiple rings stack on her fingers and a rainbow wristband sits at her wrist, the British LGBT Awards backdrop stretching behind her. Pictured at the British LGBT Awards at The Brewery, London, June 2025.

2026

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