The gruesome ‘middle stage’ hair transplant pics celebs will do anything to hide… as £12k treatment becomes latest trend

IT WAS once the cosmetic procedure celebrities would go to great lengths to deny, hiding under baseball caps and dodging cameras hoping no one would notice the suddenly full head of hair where a balding crown had been just months before. But not anymore. Stars are no longer covering up their hair transplants – instead they are boasting about them, and there’s a reason why. Sam Thompson was the latest star to open up about booking in a hair transplant Credit: Getty After more than a decade in the spotlight thanks to Made In Chelsea, he will be hoping the procedure restores his fuller barnet Credit: Channel 4 Britain’s appetite for a fuller head of hair has never been bigger, with the UK’s hair transplant market forecast to soar from an estimated £292million in 2025 to £1billion within the next decade. It means having a hair transplant means you are in good company. Sam Thompson is the latest celebrity to throw his, er baseball cap, into the ring by revealing to best pal Pete Wicks that he’s about to have a hair transplant. Sam is the latest in a growing list of famous faces helping turn what was once an embarrassing secret into one of the biggest cosmetic trends around. And it’s not just men restoring their hairlines. More women are opting for hair transplants too, with the number of female patients rising by around 16 per cent since 2021 – which is no surprise given around eight million British women experience some form of hair loss. Here we take a look at the celebs who have put their heads under the scalpel in the quest for a head of hair worthy of a shampoo advert… Wayne Rooney Wayne Rooney, pictured in 2011, has had two hair transplants and has always insisted it’s nothing to be ashamed of Credit: PA:Press Association Wayne posted this pictured after his first surgery and said it was ‘still a bit bloody’ but healing Credit: Twitter/Wayne Rooney The footballer, pictured earlier this year, paved the way for men to open up about similar treatments Credit: PA Arguably the hair transplant trend-setter, football ace Wayne, now 40, has had two treatments to restore his locks, reportedly spending £30,000 in the process. His first was in 2011, aged just 25, when he admitted to “going bald”. He was initially “delighted with the result” but went under the scalpel two years later to add volume. Stephanie Davis Hollyoaks’ Stephanie Davis was one of the first female celebs to open up about her hair transplant Credit: Getty – Contributor Her hairline looks much more voluminous following the operation Credit: Splash She also shared pics of herself only shortly after the surgery Credit: @brithairclinic Hollyoaks star Stephanie, 33, defiantly said “hair transplant surgery isn’t just for men” when she went under the knife in 2019. The actress, then 26, had suffered years of bullying at school over her “high forehead” and even wore wigs. She then suffered further when her hair fell out due to stress. After her op, she said: “It’s upped my confidence so much on photographs and everything.” Jack P Shepherd Jack P Shepherd revealed the early stage results of his hair transplant in 2019 Credit: Cavendish The Corrie star has an ‘aggressive’ form of baldness which has required him to have three ops in total Credit: Cavendish Pictured in December, ahead of his most recent hair transplant Credit: Getty He hopes the treatment will restore him to a fuller hairline Credit: jackpshepherd88/Instagram Corrie’s Jack, 38, unveiled the results of his third hair transplant earlier this year. The actor had been suffering from an “aggressive” form of male pattern baldness, which was impacting his “mental health. He said this was to the point where he considered giving up acting and not being in the public eye. He will continue to have the op for maintenance but his most recent transplant was “coming along nicely.” Ronnie Vint Ronnie Vint filled in his hairline gaps with powder to get by on Love Island Credit: ITV He’s now had a hair transplant to restore his former locks Credit: Instagram His ‘before’ pics reveal the true extent of the hair loss Credit: Instagram Former Love Island star Ronnie’s hairline was the talk of the show after filling his receding hairline in with dark powder. He joked: “If I ain’t got this powder in, my hairline’s back in Majorca. It’s that bad…” He has since had a hair transplant – costing a whopping £7,000 – and has had lots of compliments from fans, with one saying he was looking “sharp”. Chloe Goodman Reality star Chloe Goodman transformed her hairline with a follicle transplant Credit: Unleashed Talent A combination of postpartum hair loss and picking at her scalp due to anxiety had ruined her confidence Credit: Unleashed Talent She showed the true extent of her hair loss on social media Her hair looked very different during her CBB days in 2015 Credit: Stewart Williams – The Sun Chloe says postpartum hair loss left her confidence and mental health in tatters. Unfortunately, her stress reaction caused her to pick at her locks, only making it worse. Chloe, 33, said: “I’ve suffered from anxiety in the past and I used to pick at the back of my scalp when I was feeling anxious.” The former Celebrity Big Brother star, who’s mum to Isla, six, and Hudson, four, had a £6,500 hair transplant last year, and after the six hour op, said: “I’m so glad I did it.” Jake Quickenden Jake Quickenden has now had three hair transplants Credit: Instagram He said he looked ‘like Dracula’ before going under the knife Credit: PA TV host Jake, 37, struggled with his hairline for years, describing it as a source of “anxiety and paranoia”. Concerned about his receding hairline, he underwent his first hair transplant in 2017 at a cost of £5,000, after admitting he looked “like Dracula with two triangles at the front”. He had a scar repair surgery in 2020, then earlier this year had to go under the knife for the third time after failing to take his hair restoration medication which left him balding again. Ella Morgan MAFS star Ella Morgan showed her incredibly swollen face after hair transplant surgery Credit: Instagram She previously had a scar on her scalp, which she used to hide under clever up-dos Credit: Splash Ella pictured after her hair transplant last year Credit: Getty Married At First Sight star Ella, 32, opted for a hair transplant to conceal a scar along her hairline. After facial surgery in 2021 left her with a scar, Ella decided to undergo a hair transplant to help disguise it. She said: “It’s something I’m still self-conscious of when I wear my hair back.” Ella later underwent the procedure to create a lower, softer and more feminine hairline, saying the treatment helped her feel more confident about her appearance. Calum Best Pictured in 2017, Calum Best’s hairline has gone through various ups and downs Credit: PA:Press Association Pictured in 2020, he has continued to have treatments to combat his natural hairs falling out Credit: Getty Hairs were extracted from Calum’s neck to fill his scalp Credit: Cavendish Calum Best, 45, has had an incredible six hair transplants and reckons he looks “at least five years younger” as a result. The reality star started balding in his early 20s, blaming it on “a very aggressive hair-loss gene”. He said of his continued treatments: “While all the transplanted hair I’ve been given has stayed permanent, I have continued to lose more of my natural hair.” Wayne Bridge Wayne Bridge, pictured in 2019, saw significant hair loss when he hit his 40s Credit: Getty Wayne said he’d been fighting his baldness for 10 years, before his operation Credit: Cavendish His before-and-after shots show a stark difference Credit: DHI Global/Cavendish Former footballer Wayne Bridge, 45, was “buzzing” after his hair transplant just over a year ago. After having 4,000 hairs implanted at a Harley Street clinic he said: “It’s like I have got a full head of hair again, and the transformation is pretty unbelievable. “When I look at the before and after pictures, it is pretty amazing, and it has done so much for my self-confidence.” Joe Swash Joe Swash, pictured in 2008, said he was too embarrassed to open up about his hair transplant at first Credit: ITV By 2019, when this snap was taken, he’d had three hair transplants Credit: Getty Former EastEnders star Joe Swash, 44, admitted he was once “really embarrassed” about having a hair transplant, but now believes the procedure is as “normal as women having Botox”. Worried that his thinning hairline was making him look older and could affect his career, Joe underwent his first transplant at 27 and later had further procedures, including a third transplant in 2018. He said: “The reason I decided to have it done again is more to do with my own self confidence.” Landon Donovan Landon Donovan’s hair transplant made headlines in 2024 for all the wrong reasons, after failing to take Credit: X Pictured at the 2026 World Cup, the Fox Sports presenter now wears a hairpiece – and loves the results Credit: Getty Pictured as a player in 2010, once his balding had begun Credit: Action Images – Reuters After going viral for his patchy hair during the 2024 Euros following an unsuccessful hair transplant, USA football star Landon Donovan made sure it was a very different story at the 2026 World Cup. After the procedure failed to deliver the results he hoped for, Landon instead opted for a hairpiece. He said: “I got to this point where – and I don’t know, maybe it’s mid-life crisis or whatever – where psychologically it was [important].” He added: “Now I walk around and think: ‘I’m kind of handsome. I’m not this ugly balding guy.’ I feel like I’m an all right-looking guy.” Rosie Williams Love Island alumni Rosie Williams also got a hair transplant after leaving the famous villa Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock Rosie was struggling to cope with her thinning hair and bald patches Credit: KSL clinic Rosie admitted washing her locks would leave her in floods of tears due to to the ‘chunks of wet hair’ which would come out in the shower Credit: KSL Clinic Love Island star Rosie, 34, says her hair transplant was “the best thing she had ever done”. The influencer said “years of personal stress” had impacted her hairline and her self-esteem. She said before her 2022 op: “My hair has continued to thin and I’m experiencing bald patches, the overall hairline has completely changed shape and I don’t even recognise myself anymore. “What upsets me the most is that every time I wash my hair, I end up sitting on the floor in tears with chunks of wet hair in my hands that have come out of my scalp and I have no idea why.” Max Bowden EastEnders’ Max Bowden had his first hair transplant this year Credit: BBC His hairline had receded in the years previous Credit: BBC He showed the initial results shortly afterwards Credit: INSTAGRAM Former EastEnders actor Max Bowden said he was “looking forward to having options again” after undergoing a hair transplant earlier this year. The 31-year-old admitted his hair had become something he constantly worried about and hoped the procedure would help him stop focusing on it. He said: “I’m looking forward to looking in the mirror and not focusing on my hair all the time. “I think it’s going to give me more confidence and a sense of freedom.”