Made In Chelsea star Olivia Bentley has detailed her years-long struggle with alopecia, as she threw her support behind Jada Pinkett-Smith in the wake of Chris Rock’s Oscars jibe.
In a candid piece for The Sun, the reality star revealed she first began suffering from hair loss after going on The Pill at the age of 16, and has faced horrific abuse from trolls despite attempting to hide bald patches with wigs and hair extensions.
It comes after Jada’s husband Will Smith furiously slapped comedian Chris during Sunday’s Oscars after he joked that the actress, who has openly shared her own alopecia struggles, was set to star in GI Jane 2 due to her shaved head.
Ordeal: Made In Chelsea star Olivia Bentley has detailed her years-long struggle with alopecia, as she threw her support behind Jada Pinkett-Smith in the wake of Chris Rock’s Oscars jibe
Olivia explained that she first began to lose clumps of hair after going on The Pill, and doctors later diagnosed her with alopecia.
The star admitted she managed to hide her bald patches by using hats and wigs, but still faced nasty comments from classmates.
She said: ‘But when I was 17 I was devastated when a boy I was dating told me he would not have kids with me because he didn’t want them to be bald.’
Hard: The Made In Chelsea star shared her own battles with hair loss as she slammed comedian Chris for his joke about Jada’s own battle with alopecia at Sunday’s Oscars
Difficult: Olivia revealed she first began suffering from hair loss after going on The Pill at the age of 16, and has faced horrific abuse from trolls
Olivia went onto reveal she faced horrific abuse from trolls when she joined the cast of Made In Chelsea in 2016, with one even branding her a ‘bald b***h’ when she shared her hair loss for the first time on social media.
The star went onto reveal that in recent months her hair has begun to grow back, and she’s become more comfortable showcasing her natural hair inside of hiding behind extensions.
Olivia went onto laud Jada for speaking openly about her own battle with alopecia in 2018, while slamming comedian Chris for his ‘personal and poorly-timed’ joke.
Ordeal: She added one troll branded her a ‘bald b***h’ when she discussed her hair loss, and for years has hidden her bald patches under wigs and hair extensions
She added ‘Chris’s joke was a bad one. It didn’t warrant being slapped but it caused upset all round.’
The shocking scenes that unfolded during Sunday’s Oscars have divided fans online, with some lauding and others slamming Will for slapping Chris in the wake of his comment towards Jada.
The Independance Day star returned to his seat after the unexpected outburst, and could be heard shouting: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth’ at Chris, who remained on-stage and continued his planned speech.
Mere minutes later Will was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, and in his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – whose members vote for the awards, and who stages the ceremony – but stopped short of apologising to Rock.
Rage: It comes after Jada’s husband Will Smith furiously slapped comedian Chris during Sunday’s Oscars after he joked about the actress’ shaved head
Smith initially laughed off the attack, writing on Instagram on Sunday evening: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere!!’
Yet as the gravity of the situation became clear, Smith then posted a public apology to Instagram 24 hours after the ceremony, saying he wanted to say sorry formally to Rock.
He said his behaviour was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
On Wednesday the Academy said it had launched ‘disciplinary procedures’ against Smith, and confirmed he ignored their request for him to leave his seat.
Dramatic: While the star attempted to brush off the shocking scenes, winning the Oscar for Best Actor minutes later, he issued an apology to Chris in a statement on Tuesday
Rock, who is yet to respond to Smith’s attack or his apology, will be on stage in Boston on Wednesday night for his first show since the incident.
‘The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy,’ their statement said.
‘Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, [but] we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.’
Smith will receive 15 days notice of a vote as well as an opportunity to be heard by written response.
At the next board meeting – scheduled for April 18 – the Academy may take action that could include ‘suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.’