Olivia Bentley was shamed for her hair loss amid alopecia battle

Olivia Bentley has been shamed for her hair loss.

The ‘Made in Chelsea’ star, who developed alopecia as a teenager, defended Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock over his “poorly timed” gag about Jada Pinkett Smith's battle with the condition at the Oscars.

She told The Sun newspaper's Fab Daily: "It was probably really hard for Will to witness the pain Jada had already gone through learning to live with alopecia.

"I know what it feels like to be shamed over hair loss – I’ve been there are no how raw it can feel."

The 26-year-old reality star, revealed how her hair began to fall out in clumps after she started taking the contraceptive pill which caused her to be a victim of bullying.

Olivia said: "I’ve been bullied and trolled for my alopecia journey, which began just after I started taking the pill, aged 16.

"At first my hair would come out in clumps in the shower, or sometimes when I ran my hands through it.

"After a few weeks the bald patches got worse and my mum took me to the doctor and they told me it was alopecia."

Bentley revealed how she the majority of her time trying to conceal the bald patches by hiding under hats, wigs and hair extensions but despite her attempts she still faced nasty comments.

She added: "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."

Olivia had managed to successfully hide her alopecia from school, but when she joined the cast of ‘Made in Chelsea'’ at the age of 19, she was the target of online abuse by internet trolls.

Bentley said: "People would constantly make bitchy comments, like ‘Her hair looks s***', or ‘Why does her hair look like that?’

"I was even called a ‘bald b*****’ on Instagram after speaking openly about my hair loss for the first time."

The ‘Celebs Go Dating’ star applauded Jada for her bravery and choosing not to hide behind a wig, after she revealed her alopecia diagnosis in 2018 and felt that Rock's remarks at the Hollywood ceremony were unnecessary.

She concluded: "It didn’t warrant being slapped but it caused upset all round.

"Chris’ joke clearly wasn’t funny, it was personal and poorly timed. It’s a cheap shot, she was targeted cruelly. A woman’s look should never be the butt of a joke."