Sylvia Beckett’s face was so badly ravaged by the effects of bereavement and skin cancer she dared not leave the house.
Her fragile confidence was shattered even further when the stress caused her to develop alopecia, and she lost most of her hair, eyelashes and eyebrows.
She knew she looked decades older and was close to despair.
But her daughters Hayley, 35, Shelley, 33 and Abbie, 22 nominated her for a makeover on Channel 5’s Ten Years Younger in Ten Days – and now she looks not 10 years younger, but 20.
When members of the public were asked to guess Sylvia’s age on the show, they all came up with answers around 70. One even said 85.
But following the makeover, they agreed she looked more like a sprightly 50-year-old.
As part of the show, Sylvia, of Newcastle, was given a series of cosmetic treatments including botox, fillers and veneers on her teeth.
Her eyebrows were microbladed and eyeliner was tattooed on. She also had a specially-designed wig sewn on to her scalp and her wardrobe was revamped, too.
Sylvia, 65, who lost her husband Ken, 54, to a heart attack in 2006, said: “When I first had the fillers, I couldn’t believe it. I kept looking in the mirror. To see my face change, but still have my face was brilliant.”
A year on from the amazing transformation, Sylvia still feels astounded.
“It was the most wonderful experience,” she said. “I feel like I don’t have to look at the floor any more.”
