‘Transcending Trauma While Losing Her Hair’: Melanie Sykes Speaks of Post-Traumatic Growth Amid Autoimmune Battle
Melanie Sykes has spoken with striking honesty about a year that has reshaped her body, her mind — and her understanding of survival.
The former TV presenter, 55, shared a raw and deeply personal health update on Friday, revealing she is experiencing what she calls “post-traumatic growth” while continuing to battle a serious autoimmune condition that has left her two-thirds bald.
Taking to Instagram, Melanie told followers she is “vibrating high” — despite living with ongoing illness, PTSD, and extensive hair loss caused by inflammation and autoimmune dysfunction.
‘You Can Be In Pain — And Still Grow’
Speaking directly to camera, Melanie explained that healing is not linear — and that suffering and strength can coexist.
“Even the most difficult times do pass — they do,” she said.
“I want to use this term post-traumatic growth. It’s real.”
She continued:
“You can be suffering from PTSD and still, at the same time, be experiencing post-traumatic growth. I’m in both camps.”
According to psychologists, post-traumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes that can occur after a life-altering crisis — including increased resilience, clarity, and a deeper sense of purpose.
Melanie believes she is living proof.
“We can transcend all trauma,” she said.
“We can be changed — and I am living f******g proof of that.”
The Physical Toll: ‘Two-Thirds Bald’
The former presenter first revealed the extent of her hair loss earlier this year.
In April, Melanie shared a candid side-profile image showing a prominent bald patch, explaining it was taken while she was in London investigating a series of alarming health symptoms.
At the time, she disclosed:
“I am experiencing alopecia and heart issues due to all that has happened over the last few months — PTSD, shock, mistreatment, and malpractice.”
Since then, she has confirmed that widespread inflammation continues to affect her body, contributing to fatigue, hair loss, and ongoing illness.
“I’m not well,” she said plainly in a recent video.
“I’ve been ill all year. I have an autoimmune condition. I’m losing my hair. I have crazy inflammation.”
A Shift Toward Spiritual Survival
Despite the physical challenges, Melanie insists she has learned how to truly care for herself.
“Life is so good,” she told followers in a separate post.
“I know it because I’m right here, right now — and there’s nothing to fear.”
She credits her recovery mindset to faith, meditation, and what she describes as a “very spiritual existence.”
Over the past three months, Melanie undertook meditation teacher training, though illness forced her to step back before completion.
“I was too ill to finish it,” she admitted.
“I don’t necessarily want to teach — but I can do. Mostly, I’ve been living a very, very spiritual existence.”
Refusing to Be Defined by Illness
Melanie has been clear that she does not want her health to dominate every conversation.
“It’s not that I’m hiding it,” she explained.
“I’d just rather talk about something else. I’ve got this down — I’m healing myself.”
Encouraging followers to focus inward, she added:
“Attend to your own spiritual garden — your body, your mind, your creative spirit. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got me.”
Alongside one of her updates, she captioned simply:
“Hello you beautiful people, sharing my high vibes today. Love always, Melanie x.”
A Different Kind of Strength
Once best known as the face of the iconic Boddingtons Bitter adverts of the 1990s, Melanie Sykes is now presenting a very different public image — one shaped not by glamour, but by endurance.
Her message is not one of denial or false positivity.
It is a declaration that growth can exist alongside grief, and that healing does not require perfection — only presence.
As she put it herself:
“You can be both things at once.”
And for Melanie Sykes, surviving has become an act of transformation.