As she approached her 40th birthday, the life long blonde and notorious lipstick lover went for an all-out red moment.

‘I have always been a blonde but in 2011 I decided to change, so I went a reddish auburn shade and stayed that way for a year. I was coming up to my 40th birthday and I wanted to do something different – find the new me or find the next me. It felt like I had looked the same for 20 years so I thought I’d try something new.

One of my best friends in New York coloured it for me. He’s a hair stylist called Michael Angelo from Wonderland Beauty Parlour. I hadn’t planned it; it was something I thought about for a week or so beforehand. I went to Ricky’s to try on some different wigs, mostly dark and red ones, and then just thought 'Why not?'

I don’t think I ever really, really loved it though. I talked myself into it and I appreciated it for what it was but I didn’t feel like me, really. You have to feel like yourself and for me that’s being blonde, this felt like I was impersonating someone else. Friends and family liked it objectively but felt I was really a blonde inside.

After about a year and a half I suddenly felt I had to go back to blonde. I was looking through photos with my boyfriend and he said he liked me when I was blonde. It triggered me to realise that I missed it too! I actually had to have it turned back to blonde at another salon because Michael was so worried about the damage the bleach would do to my hair. The condition wasn’t great so I cut it a bit shorter to get rid of some of the damage. I loved using Shu Uemura Rose Shine Shampoo and Conditioner when it was red because it smelt so delicious but now I love to use Oribe Moisturing Shine.

Never say never, I might do it again, but if I did I wouldn’t expect me to look like me, like I did before last time, because really it’s like putting on a costume. I feel very at peace with my hair now.’