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Thursday November 15, 2007

Brave US news anchor Robin Roberts has her head shaved on camera – after losing her hair to chemotherapy.

Roberts, 40, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this summer.

The popular Good Morning America host underwent surgery in August to remove a lump, and returned to work later that month.

But when she started follow-up chemotherapy treatment, her hair began to fall out in large clumps.

So she made the decision to shave her head.

And she decided to let producers film it, in a bid to help other women who have been diagnosed with the illness.

She said: “There are millions of Americans battling cancer, and for so many when you’re first diagnosed, one of your first thoughts is about the side effects of the treatment.

“And one that comes to mind instantly, one of the most visible is loss of hair.

“I am no stranger to that side effect of losing your hair.

“I wanted to share what that felt like and looked like for me.”

She told viewers on Good Morning America: “Emotionally, it was devastating and draining.

“Everyone tells you to shave your head preemptively.

To go ahead and do it before it starts falling out and I thought, no, not me, that’s not going to be me, because some chemotherapy patients don’t lose their hair.

But let me tell you, I’ve joined that choir, because when it starts to fall out, that’s rough.”

She now wears a wig when she hosts the breakfast news programme, she said.

She added: “To wear a wig or not to wear a wig is a very personal decision for everyone who goes through this. But I never want to distract you from the story I’m reporting.

“If you see me out on the street, I might be wearing a cap or nothing at all on my head. If I were in another line of work I might go without a wig altogether. But because this is what I do, I want to give you my best work and give you the story, not distract you from it.”

Roberts expects to have radiation therapy after her chemotherapy is complete.