Bake Off’s Matt Lucas debuts his ‘first ever moustache’ after losing his hair at the age of six

‘I don’t have eyebrows so it looks a bit weird’: Bake Off’s Matt Lucas debuts his ‘first ever moustache’ after losing his hair at the age of six

Matt Lucas has used the third national lockdown to grow his ‘first ever moustache’. 

The Bake Off host, 46, took to Instagram on Wednesday to debut his new look, admitting his facial fuzz looked ‘a bit weird’ due to his lack of eyebrows.

 The comedian’s new lockdown look comes after he has battled alopecia – a condition that causes your hair to fall out – nearly all his life. 

Facial fuzz: Matt Lucas has used the third national lockdown to grow his 'first ever moustache', taking to Instagram to debut his new look on Wednesday

Facial fuzz: Matt Lucas has used the third national lockdown to grow his ‘first ever moustache’, taking to Instagram to debut his new look on Wednesday

In the caption, he joked: ‘In lockdown 3 I grew my first ever moustache. I don’t have eyebrows so it looks a bit weird.’

The Little Britain star lost his hair at the age of six following a traumatic accident when he was hit by a car while on holidays in Portugal, aged four.

Two years later, aged six, he started losing his hair in a delayed response to the shock of being knocked down by the car.

In a column for the Guardian in 2017, Matt penned that losing his hair ‘shaped his childhood’ and also his career later on.

TV career: The Bake Off host, 46, has suffered from alopecia nearly all his life after he started losing his hair at the age of six after being knocked down by a car two years before

TV career: The Bake Off host, 46, has suffered from alopecia nearly all his life after he started losing his hair at the age of six after being knocked down by a car two years before

‘I woke up one morning to find several hairs on my pillow,’ he wrote. ‘The next day the same thing happened, only this time there were a lot more. By the end of that summer all my hair had fallen out.’

Although the actor said that his childhood was ‘tough’ and that he was ‘mocked and bullied’ because of his baldness, he said it has ultimately helped him in his career. 

‘Would I have had my big break as a baby in Shooting Stars if I had had a full head of hair?’ he wrote. 

‘My baldness has made me distinctive, yet also allowed me to transform myself. Stick a wig on and I’m someone else. Swap the wig and I’m now another person.’ 

West End: The actor briefly returned to London's West End in December as the innkeeper Monsieur Thénardier (pictured) for a few concert performances of Les Misérables

West End: The actor briefly returned to London’s West End in December as the innkeeper Monsieur Thénardier (pictured) for a few concert performances of Les Misérables

Matt briefly returned to London’s West End in December for a few concert performances of Les Misérables before the UK was plunged down into another lockdown.

He portrayed the innkeeper Monsieur Thénardier alongside Katy Secombe, who played Madame Thénardier.

The production welcomed a socially-distanced crowd back to the Sondheim Theatre on December 5, for the first time since March 16 after Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden cleared the runway for arts venues to remain open for rehearsals during the lockdown.  

The show was supposed to run at 50 per cent capacity for six weeks in the lead up to Christmas but performances were stopped a week later due to London entering tier three. 

WHAT IS ALOPECIA?

Alopecia, which causes baldness, is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. The immune system – the body’s defense system – turns on itself.

What are the symptoms?

‘Typically, one or more small bald patches, about the size of a 50p piece, appear on the scalp. The hair can start to regrow at one site, while another bald patch develops. Hair may also begin to thin all over the head,’ says Marilyn Sherlock, chairman of the Institute of Trichologists. 

What causes it?

‘For some reason, the body’s immune system begins to attack its own hair follicles. Special white blood cells in the body, known as T-lymphocytes, cause the hair to stop growing,’ she adds.

Can worry make it worse?

Stress has been shown to prolong the problem. 

Is it an inherited condition?

There is strong evidence to suggest that alopecia, like other auto-immune diseases, runs in families. About 25 per cent of patients have a family history of the disorder. 

Who gets it?

Alopecia areata usually affects teenagers and young adults, but it can affect people of any age. It is just as common among men as women. 

Is there a cure?

There is no known cure, although there are various treatments which may be effective for some people.