She’s had a turbulent few years, with the father of her baby walking out on her just two months after she gave birth, as well as struggling with her weight and body image.
But Chanelle Hayes insists that she will get herself into a good place this year and is focusing on her health, happiness and confidence to get in the right mindset to find love.
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The reality star, 32, had a hair transplant last month, and says that the procedure is just the beginning of her journey. She reveals, “It’s been really painful, and my head has swollen to the size of a hot air balloon, but it’ll be so worth it. I’ve hated my hairline for years and I wanted to do something about it. Hopefully, this time next year, I’ll have a great head of hair and feel more confident about myself.”
Since rising to fame on Big Brother in 2007, Chanelle – who is mum to sons Blakely, nine, and Frankie, two – has been open about fluctuating between a size 6 and 20 over the years. She has always embraced her curves, whatever her size, stripping off for Closer on several occasions, confidently showing off her body on naked photoshoots.
After giving birth to Frankie, in 2017, she was a size 18 and previously told Closer that weight gain had left her with serious health issues, including back problems and knee joint pain, and was even warned by doctors that she was likely to become diabetic if she didn’t adopt a healthier lifestyle.
CHECK OUT Big Brother series two - where are they now?
Big Brother series two - where are they now
1 of 22Brian Dowling
Former flight attendant, Brian won the hearts of the nation and was crowned the series two winner.
2 of 22Brian Dowling
Brian rose to fame after his win, earning him a host of presenting jobs. He now has the perhaps unenviable job of hosting the Real Housewives of Cheshire's end of season fight / finale.
3 of 22Helen Adams
Helen Adams was most known for her saying, "I love blinking, I do." She gave us a juicy on-screen romance with Paul Clarke despite having a boyfriend on the outside.
4 of 22Helen Adams
Much to the BB fans delight, the pair later got together but split five years later. Helen now works as a hairdresser in Bristol.
5 of 22Paul Clark
Paul Clarke originally locked lips with Penny Ellis. But after she was evicted it didn't take long for his eyes to wander to Helen.
6 of 22Paul Clark
After his split with Helen in 2006, Paul returned to the career he had before the show and is now a car designer.
7 of 22Penny Ellis
Bumbling Penny Ellis was known for being the English teacher who went wild and stripped off.
8 of 22Penny Ellis
After she bared all, the school decided to let Penny go. After making it into panto in Porthcawl, she went back to teaching.
9 of 22Amma Antwi-Agyei
Coming in seventh place was Amma Antwi-Agyei, she took Big Brother as an opportunity to reveal to her deeply-religious mother that she was a £1,000 a night bisexual lap dancer.
10 of 22Amma Antwi-Agyei
Amma went on play Yasmin Shawcross on one series of Sky One's Dream Team. Now, she's rumoured to have returned to her stripping work.
11 of 22Dean O’Laughlin
Dear old Dean finished in third place and walked away with a broken record for building the highest sugar cube tower.
12 of 22Dean O’Laughlin
After the show, the Brummie music enthusiast teamed up with fellow housemate, Stuart to sell tea-bag bins.
13 of 22Elizabeth Woodcock
Elizabeth Woodcock entered the house as a website designer from Cumbria. She was a quiet soul who made it to fourth place.
14 of 22Elizabeth Woodcock
She left the house to discover that naked pictures of herself had been sold by her boyfriend to the Daily Star. She later split from him and made a documentary on motorbiking.
15 of 22Josh Rafter
Josh was the first ever BB contestant to be voted into the house through the Diary Room door after the series had already started. The fitness fanatic like to show off his buff bod, but it wasn't enough to keep him in the house as he came in sixth place in week eight.
16 of 22Josh Rafter
Josh is now a property developer who bought the company he worked for.
17 of 22Narinder Kauer
Narinder was best buds with Brian but she did NOT get on well with Helen. Narinder missed her wedding anniversary in the house but she was evicted on day 29.
18 of 22Narinder Kaur
Since leaving the house, Narinder has written a book about her time in the house and had two children with her husband. She still pops up on the telly.
19 of 22Paul 'Bubble' Ferguson
Bubble is perhaps best remembered for his collection of hats, which Brian once stole before starting a ridiculous argument (they loved a play fight). Bubble was the only person in the house who didn't drink, so we're not sure how he managed to survive when everyone else was sloshed.
20 of 22Paul 'Bubble' Ferguson
Bubble and Dean released the song Standing Tall which charted at 99 in the UK charts. He's also starred in pantomimes, an episode of The Office and in Dead Set.
21 of 22Stuart Hosking
Stuart Hosking was the oldest contestant in the house. He got a reputation for being a bit sly, and became known for winking when he was being dishonest. He was the second housemate to be evicted.
22 of 22Stuart Hosking
Firstly: Stuart is RIPPED. Now that's out of the way, we can also tell you that he runs a bin bag business with fellow housemate Dean and has had four children. He also put on a Big Brother pantomime.
Chanelle says thatyears of yo-yo dieting also took a toll on her hair, which was thinned and weakened. She says, “I always hated my forehead, but my weight gain and loss has really receded my hairline and thinned out my hair. Gaining weight also changed my face. So this transplant is just one thing to get me on my way to feeling better about myself.”
Last year she vowed to slim down – and she did, dropping to a size 12-14. She previously told Closer, “I’ve done every diet under the sun, but this time it’s been about changing my mindset towards food and having a balanced way of living.”
While she has accepted that her weight may always fluctuate, 5ft 2 Chanelle’s main goal is looking after her health, and she’s set herself fitness goals to get herself active.
She says, “I think my weight will always go up and down, but I’ve learned now that my health is paramount. I want long-lasting results, not just a quick-fix. I’m currently focusing on healthy eating and lots of protein. I had problems with my back when I was bigger, so I’m now exercising in a low impact way, like walking. I’m training to do the 100km Lake District Walk later this year for charity.”
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Chanelle’s had a spotlight on her love life ever since her romance with Big Brother housemate Ziggy Lichmandominated the storyline of her series in 2007. But the pair split not long after the show ended, and she embarked on a short-lived romance with footballer Matthew Bates in 2011 – with whom she shares Blakely. In 2016, Chanelle went public with PE teacher Ryan Oates and gave birth to their son Frankie a year later. She announced her split from Ryan just a few weeks afterwards, although the pair are on amicable terms.
Chanelle admits she feels her family is complete and she says she won’t be looking for love until she’s feeling happy and healthy in her own skin. She says, “I’d never have any more kids now – I’ve been there, done that. And I’d love to find love again, but not any time soon. If the right person comes along, then great, but I’m taking this year to figure myself out and feel good again.”
And Chanelle – who has had a boob job and liposuction over the years – adds that she may have more surgery to help get back her confidence. “I want to have my boob implants taken out this year,” she adds. “I had them done when I was young and flat-chested, but now I don’t need them, and I don’t want any foreign things in my body any more.”
Read more in this week's Closer mag, out now