5 Urban Style Icons To Look Up To

If you are looking for a fresh new look then going with a bit of the urban style is a really good idea. This is a very relaxed style that is going to ensure that you are on top of the trends and look fresh in 2014. To help you create a good urban look here are five style icons you should look up to. There are icons in this list for both men and women to find inspiration for their own style.

1. Rihanna

The undisputed urban style icon for women has to be Rihanna. She is a big trendsetter that has influenced many women that have entered the music industry after her.

She is very experimental and brave with her style. She likes to mix and match her style, which is great because it keeps the look fresh. For all the brave urban women out there Ri-Ri is definitely someone to look up to.

2. Tinie Tempah

One man you should look up to if you like the urban style is Tinie Tempah. He is a British musician who has added some geeky chic trends to urban style. He has made showing off that inner geek stylish and brought a lot of fun to men’s urban style.

Fashion Beans article points out that he is very good at mixing old and new, and smart and casual. This makes his style truly ground-breaking and fresh. You can’t really ever guess what he is going to wear to awards shows or gigs but you know there will always be something exciting in his style.

3. Pink

For people who love to add a bit of rock ‘n roll to their look Pink is the perfect style icon to follow. Her style has changed a lot over the years and it feels like she has finally hit upon the right type of combination between bold pieces and normal pieces.

Just like her music, Pink’s style is very much out there and really shows that she doesn’t care what you think. She is still good at showing a softer and more feminine side and is a good role model for all women out there.

4. Nick Grimshaw

Another good urban style icon for men is Nick Grimshaw. This radio celebrity who now also appears on TV has had a great influence in adding some gentleman-like style to the urban trends.

He is great at looking really gentleman-like while still adding bold colours and patterns to his look. He is a lot of fun to watch if you are into fashion and there are many tips that you can take for your own everyday look.

5. Rita Ora

A new urban style icon is Rita Ora. Her style could closely be associated to that of Rihanna’s but there are some subtle differences. This was especially seen at the start when miss Ora hit the scene and was much more street.

The thing about Rita Ora’s style is that it often mixes some boyish trends in and is a really good combination of feminine and masculine styles.

Doris loves to follow fashion and she is always hunting for new ideas from UK-based urban clothing websites. When she isn’t browsing fashion blogs for new ideas she likes to go to gigs with her friends.

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Defining Pet Popularity One Celebrity At A Time

In the modern world it’s common to have pets. It’s part of our culture. A pet brings a sense of companionship that you can’t get anywhere else since they have an unconditional love. They fill a gap or hole in your life. If an individual lives alone or if everyone is gone and you’re the only one home, then having an animal makes you feel less lonely. They help you to be less fearful of being alone. Plus, depending on the animal, they can be a source of entertainment. With so many attributes it almost seems like you can’t go wrong with owning a pet. People go out of their way to take care of their pets or to bond with their pets.

Many famous celebrities have a pet they adore. Some obsess over them more than others. But pets are someone they can trust since there are so many sick people that would use a celebrity for their popularity. Here’s a hefty list of celebrities and how they put their pets on a pedestal:

Miley Cyrus

The most dramatic woman in Hollywood right now is a dog lover. She is known for rescuing dogs and often poses with her Husky Mix Floyd.

Hugh Jackman

Being Wolverine and having such broad shoulders and sculpted muscles you’d think Hugh Jackman would have a masculine dog. But with charm and class comes expensive taste. And Hugh Jackman is owning expensive taste like Chuck Norris, with his favorite pet, Dali, a French Bulldog.

Ryan Gosling

Every woman’s dream man is even dreamer when you find out what he did for his dog. Carry him up the stairs! If he treats his dog so well you can only imagine how he would treat his women.

Sandra Bullock

The Oscar-Winning babe that has starred in numerous hit movies is known to carry around her pups Ruby, Poppy, and Bebe. It’s pretty adorable huh? She’s a really blunt and bold woman but she enjoys the innocence of her two dogs.

George Clooney

Talk about weird. George’s best bud was a potbellied pig named Max. Although, the pig died in 2006 after sharing eighteen wonderful years with Clooney. Even though George is a well-renowned bachelor he would let a potbellied pig into his bed, let along into his heart? Talk about priorities. What does that say about a woman? Nothing good can come from that! But we all have to bond with someone

Adam Sandler

This man should be known for his bulldog and not just his comedy abilities. Adam’s ring bearer at his wedding was his furry little friend Meatball the bulldog. Meatball dressed up for Adam’s wedding, donning a tuxedo. Adorable. The bulldog also had a funeral service with more than one hundred guests present.  

Why put pets on a pedestal? What is so significant about a relationship with a pet? Here a few suggestions why George Clooney would share his bed with a pig, or why Adam Sandler would have a large funeral service for Meatball.

An animal’s love is unconditional

Animals are very grateful

Your nurturing and caring side is strengthened

Emotional relationship

Gives you an opportunity to stay active

Pets lower stress rates/ make you feel calmer

Pets protect you

Animals help you to feel less lonely

Entertain you

Always there to cheer you up (unless it’s a cat)

Overall you are the only life that little or big animal knows. Their lives revolve around you and how you take care of them. We love them because they love us, even if we are flawed. They don’t care. All they know is if you love them. They may not be able to talk but they can feel. They know when their master/ friend loves and cares for them.

George Clooney enjoyed his pig because he made a strong bond with him. He looked forward to coming home to his pig. And Adam Sandler shared the same relationship with his dog Meatball. Adam just simply did what Meatball would have done if he was a human, and that his make Adam his ring-bearer. These celebrities are simply reciprocating the unconditional love their pets are giving them. They are returning the love. So don’t take your pets for granted!!! And enjoy the time you have with them! 

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Rachael Largent is a content creator who enjoys writing about animal care and putting pets on pedestals.

Most Successful Top Models Of 2013

1. Gisele Bündchen

Gisele can be proud of her 2 ft. tall legs as well as an inconceivable $42 million a year from modelling activities. Bündchen's main source of income is her lucrative merchandising partnerships as well as contacts with the likes of Pantene, Oral-B, Sky HDTV, and Chanel beauty.  In the future we may see the Brazilian supermodel turning her focus on business ventures, such as her eco-friendly Sejaa Pure Skin Care company.

2. Miranda Kerr

Australian beauty Miranda Kerr is known as Victoria’s Secret Angel, Orlando Bloom’s sweetheart and a budding entrepreneur too. Although her professional contract and blissful marriage recently ended, Kerr has the reputation benefits of her name and some million dollars to console her. Besides her contracts with various clothing retailers, Miranda is also massively popular in Asia and runs her own cosmetics company.

3. Adriana Lima

It is only fair for the longest-serving Victoria’s Secret Angel to hold the most lucrative modelling contract in the company. Apart from the famous lingerie retailer, Lima has seen huge earnings from collaborations with Miu Miu, Mavi Jeans and Donna Karan.

 4. Kate Moss

Yes, there is still only one Kate in London. Starting her career as Calvin Klein’s muse in early 90s, Moss has been an exemption to the golden rule of models’ short shelf life. Moss, at 39, is still the heroine of fashion chic, with contracts including Rimmel, Versace and Vogue Eyewear.

5. Liu Wen

This 25-year-old is definitely one to watch: Crowned China’s first supermodel, edgy Liu is also the first Chinese model to catwalk for Victoria’s Secret. In her long list of campaigns we meet some of the biggest names in fashion including Calvin Klein, H&M and Hugo Boss.

6. Hilary Rhoda

Rhoda owns her success to her versatile image: regular catwalk fixture for Victoria's Secret, athletic enough for Nike and high-profile muse for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Gucci. Her contract with the cosmetics giant Estée Lauder, counting already 7 years, is only expected to get more lucrative as it matures.

7. Carolyn Murphy

All-American Murphy started her modelling career in her hometown in Florida and managed to become one of the most recognizable women in the world of fashion. She is currently the host of Project Runway: All Stars, but has also inked contracts with Coach, Ann Taylor Loft and Carlo Pazolini.

8. Joan Smalls

Smalls’ career kicked off in 2010 when she was chosen to walk exclusively for Givenchy. Since then she has posed for Chanel, Lacoste, and Balenciaga and covered Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and GQ. Despite her young age, she is a newcomer to FORBES’ list of the highest-paid top models of the world.

9. Candice Swanepoel

Gorgeous Candice was first discovered in a flea market in South Africa at the tender age of 15. Her resume includes endorsements from Versace and Juicy Couture, Vogue covers, advertisements for Tommy Hilfiger and catwalks for numerous designers. However, like most “Angels”, Swanepoel’s biggest paycheck is her contract with Victoria’s Secret.

10. Lara Stone

Gap-toothed Dutch model Lara Stone is routinely opening shows for Givenchy, Prada and Marc Jacobs. Her big success story though is Calvin Klein’s “crush” with her: Lara has an exclusive deal with Calvin Klein Jeans, ck Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Collection, appearing in ads for all three of them. 

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Katerina is an avid blogger with a real appreciation of beauty. She is currently blogging for vixenandblush.com  about hairstyles and fashion.

Obsessed Celebrities: How Much Surgery Is Too Much?

Plastic Surgery & Body Dysmorphic Disorder

There are some stars that just never seem to age. Then again, there are other stars whose appearances begin to look stranger, rather than younger. They may be suffering from a condition called "Body Dysmorphic Disorder," or BDD, which means “ugly body syndrome.” About 1 percent of the population in the U.S. has this disorder.

No matter now minor a perceived imperfection, the body dysmorphic insists that they are seriously defective because of it. These stars, seen by the public as the ultimate in beauty, are utterly convinced they are horribly ugly.

A recent study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found a 33 percent incidence of BDD in patients who ask for nose jobs. Legitimate plastic surgeons refuse any patient they feel may have this disorder, leaving the patient to find surgeons or others who are not so careful.

BDD can even become deadly. It can lead persons, mostly women, to think that they are obese, although they are not. They may diet so severely and for so long that they may literally starve to death.

The stars who underwent multiple plastic surgeries looked good before the surgeries. Most would agree that the plastic surgeries made their appearances worse. The following is a list of some of those celebrities. 

Pete Burns

Pete Burns is a British singer who, when he was younger in the early 80s, performed as the front-man for “Dead or Alive.” Burns’ experiments on his own face included hundreds procedures involving plastic surgery, permanent makeup, tattoos, injections, fillers and tissue reconstruction. He is now completely unrecognizable after 20 years of plastic surgery.

Although he is an extreme case, celebrities like Janice Dickinson, Melanie Griffith, Barry Manilow, Bruce Jenner, Joan Rivers and Carrot Top are among dozens of other celebrities who have had too much plastic surgery.

Jocelyn Wildenstein 

Jocelyn Wildenstein was nicknamed by the press “The Bride of Wildenstein,” a reference to the Bride of Frankenstein. She has currently spent more than $4 million on various plastic surgeries trying to look like a lioness. She said she had the surgeries to please her husband who liked big cats.

She and her husband had a bitter divorce after a long marriage. Wildenstein received $2.5 billion in the settlement, but the judge stipulated that she could not use the money for any plastic surgeries or other related procedures.

Hang Mioku

Hang Mioku, a 48-year-old woman from South Korea, is also a BDD chasing perfection. A model and up-and-coming singer, she became obsessed with silicone injections. Her procedures have turned out disastrously. Mioku even went as far as injecting cooking oil into her own face.

Korean TV told Hang’s story and viewers donated the cost of corrective surgery. It took 10 operations to remove 60 grams of silicone, cooking oil and other substances from her face. The surgeons removed another 200 grams from her neck. Her face is more appropriate for her tiny body now, but she is still scarred for life.

Silicone injections are dangerous, but many people take the danger so lightly that they throw silicone injection parties in their homes. The attendees then have the silicone injected, sometimes by untrained persons, into their faces, necks, buttocks or other body parts. The cost is low, so people who cannot afford plastic surgery often pursue this method.

The best defense for these people are the legitimate surgeons who refuse the surgeries and law enforcement to arrest the unqualified.

Peter Wendt is a writer from Austin, Texas. He recommends his readers interested in plastic surgery to visit this website and learn more. 

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Holistic Health Care For Dogs

To many people, having a dog as a pet means putting out food and water, and occasionally taking him for a trot around the block.  Later, they seem surprised and outraged by enormous vet bills, and wonder if they could have done something differently to prevent the disease their pet is suffering from.  Or, perhaps they don’t wonder.

One great thing you can do for your pet is talk with your veterinarian in depth about preventing disease, and make sure you are on the same wavelength as far as a holistic approach.  You may get lucky and find a vet who believes in combining western and eastern medicine to treat your beloved pets.  Prevention is the key to wellness, but treatment of existing issues should also be looked at with an open mind.  Dogs can benefit greatly from chinese herbs, supplements, acupuncture, and acupressure.

Nutrition

We humans are learning more and more about preventing disease through proper nutrition and the fact is, it is the best way to keep your pets healthy too.  Ideally, you and your pets should be eating unprocessed, whole, fresh food.  Whether you decide to feed your dog a raw meat diet, a vegan diet, or something in between, the food should be good quality.  Sprinkling random kibble into a bowl every day, or opening a can of the cheapest thing you could find, is going to cost you big in the long run.

It has recently come to light that some of the ingredients in cheap commercial dog food are highly questionable.  The ingredient “meat and bone meal”, may in fact be ground up dogs and cats that have been euthanized at shelters, as well as the parts of livestock that are too nasty to even be included in hot dogs.

Depending on your dog’s current health, he may also need vitamins, probiotics, or enzymes.

Vaccinations

It used to be that pet owners were always told that their dogs or cats needed to be vaccinated annually for a number of things.  Now we hear contradictory data about the annual booster shots.  Vaccinations are a money maker for veterinarians, so many haven’t changed their policy, but some vets say that most of the shots last years longer than originally thought, and that annual boosters will certainly result in health issues.  Many animals suffer serious side effects or allergic reactions to vaccinations.  Long term chronic diseases and health issues are often triggered by vaccinations, including arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, skin allergies, epilepsy, leukemia, and other forms of cancer.  Behavioral changes such as aggression is often noted after getting boosters.  Autoimmune disorders are being seen more and more as well as cancer in younger animals.

It’s a good idea to discuss your particular situation with your vet when decided which vaccinations your pet needs and at what age.  Puppies and kittens should not be vaccinated before they are 12 weeks old.  Their immune systems are not fully developed and can be overstressed by vaccines.  Determining factors include whether your pet will be exposed to other animals, the health of your pet, and whether he has had reactions to vaccines in the past.  If your vet suggests a booster shot for your dog, ask for a blood test to determine if there are still enough antibodies present to resist infection.

Dr. Andrew Webber is a retired veterinarian and writer who is passionate about promoting pet health and safety through his written works online.

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Amanda Bynes Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder And Schizophrenia

For months people have been talking about the behavior of Amanda Bynes. Her very open and outlandish Tweets that included pictures of herself, one with a caption commenting on how fat she looks. Amanda’s behavior has been a true cause for concern, and now it seems a lot of it can be explained: Ms. Bynes has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The dual diagnosis comes as the result of Amanda’s care at the UCLA Medical Center. Her parents reportedly intervened and had Amanda committed to the psychiatric center where, based on her “concerning state of wellbeing”, doctors requested she be put on a psychiatric hold.

Private Treatment Center

Amanda has since been relocated to a private treatment center, outside of Los Angeles, for what they are calling “specialized treatment.” The recommendation came from the UCLA Medical Center staff and news sources report that Rick and Lynn Bynes issued a statement about their daughter’s recent hospitalization and why she changed treatment locations: “Amanda was stuck with people in much worse condition than her. She was scared, afraid and did not leave her immediate room area. She is getting specialized psych care, one on one treatment, not drug rehab.”

90 Days In Treatment

The plan is for Amanda to spend at least 90 days in the facility she and her family have chosen, which has not been publicly confirmed, but is said to specialize in and focus on mental health care. Most likely the program is dual diagnosis, meaning it will treat each of Amanda’s diagnoses at the same time.

She will create an individualized treatment plan, with a therapist, to address the symptoms of each disorder, to adopt coping skills and tools for each, and to heal underlying emotional pain that has kept Amanda sick. Dual diagnosis clients receive concurrent treatment for both disorders, so in Amanda’s case, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and potentially an eating disorder, will all be treated.

What is Bipolar Affective Disorder?

What used to be called manic depression is now called Bipolar Affective Disorder and comes in two forms, Bipolar I and Bipolar II. Those suffering from either type go through periods of extreme mania and extreme depression without warning of a shift, and with onset occurring in a person’s twenties.

Mania involves a persistent, elevated, and irritated mood, inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, talkativeness, distractibility, increased goal-directed activity, and excessive involvement in activities that seem to be pleasurable, but that actually have a high potential for negative consequences, like drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, or unsafe sex.

Episodes Of Major Depression

The episodes of major depression include lack of interest in activities, disturbances in sleep and appetite patterns, an inability to concentrate, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, feelings of inadequacy, and suicidal thoughts.

The greatest danger of untreated Bipolar Affective Disorder is the potential for frequent suicidal thoughts and actual suicide attempts.

What is Schizophrenia?

This mental illness, categorized as a thought disorder, is chronic and is estimated to affect around 1% of the entire population with onset generally in the late teen and early adult years. Those suffering from its symptoms are said to experience hallucinations (false physical perceptions), delusions (false beliefs), inappropriate affect (illogical emotional responses), ambivalence while making decisions, poor association (difficulty connecting thoughts and ideas), inability to care for oneself, disorganized speech, a detachment from reality, poor job performance, and strained relationships.

Schizophrenics often self-medicate the symptoms with drugs and alcohol, not knowing the origin or how else to cope. The complications of the illness with cocaine, amphetamines, uppers (like MDMA or ecstasy), psychedelics (LSD, PCP, or peyote), and alcohol can lead to misdiagnosis because drug effects overlap with the disorder’s symptoms.

How Does Treatment Work for Both Disorders?

An assessment for anyone presenting for treatment helps to identify exactly where treatment efforts should be focused. If a client is found to have clinically appropriate diagnoses for Bipolar Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia, the care will include therapeutic interventions and medication management for each disorder at the same time.

If this client has also been abusing substances and engaged in the behaviors of an eating disorder (E.D.), specific treatment modalities will also be added to the treatment plan that focus on abstinence from drugs, alcohol, and E.D. behaviors.

Assessment

When a client enters treatment, an assessment guides the treatment team toward a recommendation for care. The team is educated, trained, and experienced in the healing of people like Amanda Bynes, who have been suffering from one or more mental illnesses and have been self-medicating in an effort to cope and to feel better.

If you, or someone you care about, is showing signs of mental illness, substance abuse or addiction, an eating disorder, or any combination of these disorders, contact a qualified reputable treatment center.

John Lloyd works for Serenity Malibu and has a passion for helping people in addiction recovery learn more about his work at http://www.serenitymaliburehab.com/.

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What People Think About Hair Loss

An Infographic for Hair Loss that represents valuable data from International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. The infographic is answering a lot of questions regarding hair transplant and hair loss in general. The survey questions have been answered by 595 respondents from various democraphics. The survery is trying to see how people and celebrities understand Hair and hair loss today.

The purpose of the ISHRS Hair  Transplant Challenge Survey was to gather information on attitudes towards hair loss and hair replacement and to test respondents’ ability to find out people who had a hair transplant procedure. 595 people had participated in the survey and provided responses. A sample size of 595 has a margin of error of about /- 4.0 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. Respondents were asked to provide their sex and age prior to answering questions about hair  loss and replacement. The majority of respondents were male (68.7 percent).  Respondents were most likely to be between the age of 18 to 29 (31.6 percent) or 30 to 39 years of age (23.2 percent). Over 3/4 of respondents (77.3%) were between 21 and 50 years of age.

HDC is a Hair transplant clinic with offices in UK, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Spain and Israel. It provides the latest effective hair transplant methods to patients all over the world

Kate Middleton. Princess And Hair Icon

Long hair makes us all feel like a princess, and with that in mind, who better to turn to for inspiration when getting that regal look and feel than our actual princess?

   Kate Middleton didn't soar her way to the crown, and into our nation's hearts for that matter, for no reason.  She has a winning smile, radiant skin and absolutely stunning hair!  She makes every girl not only want to be a beautiful, glamourous and educated princess, but also manages to make some at least really rather glad they happen to be brunettes.  Me included!

   She just emanates a subtly distinguished air, of being endowed with an innate royal character, much like her husband, Prince William's, much loved mum Princess Diana, who also boasted, for her time, some particularly beautiful blond hair.  But where Diana's hair was short and distinguished Kate's is long, full of volume and vitality. 

She has three main distinctive looks that form the basis of her becoming a hair icon,

Down and Decadent.  This is Kate's signature look.  She is well known for wearing her hair completely down, letting it fall past her shoulders to it's full, long length.  Usually parted at the centre or slightly to one side of her head her hair is given a lot of volume, rising up bouncily before falling in a stream of sleek waves and curls on either side of her face. 

Up, Down, Up Town.  Recently Kate has started to break out, or rather break up, but not in a bad way, and whilst still making the most of her lengthy hair, leaving the majority of it tumbling down in it's usual fashion, in an abundance of curls, some of it, rather than falling on either side of her lovely face, is pulled up and away from it.  Letting us all take a look at her radiant, glowing skin and genuine smile.  Still natural, but a slightly more face framing look, there is an added element of sophistication that goes into her half up, half down do that is simply stunning.

Up and Up.  Class.  Whilst our darling Duchess of Cambridge doesn't often throw all of her hair up and away from her face, every once in a while she stuns us by breaking out this flattering and fabulous style.  Often kept simple at the front, letting her face steal the attention, though when taking a slightly different angle, and looking at it from behind one can see that whilst still effortlessly stylish, actually rather a lot of effort has gone into getting that hair up!  The back is usually, more likely than not, full of delicate swirls and braids that form her feminine and elegant hairstyle.

Yet, whatever style her hair happens to be in it is always enviably glossy, sleek, shiny and well maintained.  I doubt she's ever known a split end in her life! 

    She is a princess in every sense of the word, even emerging from hospital after the birth of her baby with divine, healthy and natural looking hair.  A simple centre parting and slightly lighter ends added texture to her hair, and emphasised her typical and eternally impressive curls and waves, which were not completely groomed into existence with the birth of her baby, but were nonetheless present.  Gorgeous!

    Obviously we can't talk about Kate and her gorgeous hair without paying mention to her wedding day.  Besides the beautiful and elegant dress she was sporting her hair also looked divine.  Perhaps more dark than she usually wears it, or else appearing so in contrast to her pure white dress.  Hair pulled slightly back and away from her face but falling in very elaborate curls down passed her shoulders, her hair was kept behind them, and topped off with a tiara and long Cinderella-esque veil, allowing her hair and her dress to shine in equal measure. 

    All in all, it is safe to say that our divine Duchess is an absolute hair inspiration, pulling off any of her simplistic yet effective styles with grace and ease, it's no wonder she's a princess!

Abi Sehmi has a real love of beauty. She is currently blooging for VixenandBlush.com about hairstyles.

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Big Brother's Lydia Scott-Lee Has Laser Eye Surgery

Lydia Scott-Lee, famed for her roles in Mammia Mia and appearing in Big Brother 13 had laser eye surgery earlier this September.

The dancer, married to Pop Idol and 3SL star Andy, had suffered with contact lenses for years, often finding them uncomfortable when dancing and swimming.

But in September she went for a free consultation at a clinic in Manchester, and just ten days later was enjoying 20/20 vision.

Recently married in June this year, Lydia said: “I heard of Freedom Vision through a friend of mine. I had contemplated it for many years but it felt like the right time to take it further has I was tired of wearing contact lenses!

“The consultation was very quick but also very thorough. I was thrilled to be able to have the treatment about a week and a half later. I wasn't nervous beforehand because I was so well informed about everything. I felt completely at ease. I was more excited than nervous.”

Scott-Lee will be most famous for appearing in Big Brother 13, where she was the fourth housemate to be evicted. She was also an extra in Mamma Mia, and has appeared in music videos by some of the industries biggest names including Kanye West and Kylie Minogue.

“The treatment lasted about ten minutes, and by the next day my vision was pretty much 85% normal, and by day two it was 100%! Now my vision is far better than when I was wearing contact lenses which is amazing. I would without doubt recommend Freedom Vision and I already have been telling all my friends and family, some of whom will be booking in for a consultation,” she continued.

Over 30 million people around the world have undergone laser eye treatments for poor vision, cataracts and numerous other visual ailments. But for Lydia it was the irritant of having to wear contact lenses and glasses that was worse, especially as a professional dancer and keen swimmer.

“Laser Eye Surgery has changed my day to day life immensely. Contact lenses/glasses can restrict activity like swimming and flying, but they can also just be a bit of an annoyance and make your eyes itchy.

“I'm so glad I made a decision to have the treatment!”

She married her partner of over five years in June in a wedding that was covered by OK! Magazine in Las Vegas.

She said: "Andy and I have always had a good relationship with OK! Magazine, they have always been very supportive of our relationship so it was only natural to have our wedding covered by people that we trust and it gave viewers of Big Brother and whoever else supports us a chance to see and hear all about our wedding. Hopefully we proved an Las Vegas wedding doesn't have to be tacky!"

Lydia is set to appear alongside side husband Andy in a production of Aladdin this Christmas at Broxbourne Civic Hall in Hertfordshire. For more information about Freedom Vision, you can visit their website.

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Arthur Wilson is a journalist from Manchester. You can follow him on twitter @Ayup_Arthur.