PH Dean says fame has helped him accept life with vitiligo

During the summer months the skin on my hands is noticeably lighter than the rest of my body. Some of the more curious viewers on ITV’s Lorraine (which I have appeared on regularly since 2010) speculated that I had been washing my hands too much or applying fake tan badly. However the truth is that since the age of five I have been affected by a condition called vitiligo. What started out as a small white dot on my foot has spread to many parts of my body over the years and continues to do so. It is not a subject I would normally speak openly about as it draws attention to something I would change about myself in a heartbeat if given the chance. But I want to challenge the various things I’ve had to deal with in my life head-on and I am already finding it very therapeutic to put pen to paper.

Vitiligo is quite a common condition which makes the skin and sometimes the hair turn white in patches. This is because melanocytes, the cells which give the skin its colour, have been damaged. The way the condition develops varies from one person to another. It can spread to cover the whole body although this does not necessarily happen. The most common form of vitiligo affects both sides of the body but it can affect one side only. In most cases it’s thought to be linked to the immune system not working properly. The best-known vitiligo sufferer was probably Michael Jackson. I am naturally dark-skinned thanks to my South African grandmother so because of this my condition is more noticeable than for someone with fairer skin. I was very conscious of this when growing up but was always a confident lad so name-calling (“cow hands” was my favourite) didn’t bother me too much. Funnily enough it was only more recently that it started becoming more of an issue for me. Being on a national TV show, sporting patches of pure white skin was obviously going to be picked up on by viewers. So when I started to develop patches on my face and neck I did wonder if this was going to affect my career, especially with much younger, better-looking chaps coming through the ranks.

PH 'During the summer months the skin on my hands is noticeably lighter than the rest of my body'

I had a choice to make. Either I was going to spend time covering the patches every time I appeared on TV or I had to live with it. I chose a happy medium. I’m not a vain person but I do cover the areas on my face and hands on some occasions. And I’d like to get across the message that before you comment on someone’s appearance, try and get the whole story first. I consider myself very lucky to not care what people say but many others take comments, even ones deemed as banter, to heart. It’s also important to be proud of who you are. I’m not saying it’s easy – it isn’t. But a contented heart makes for a contented life. This is something I’ve also experienced through my dad Steve. An accident left him with serious burns and scarring to large areas of his face and body. To me he will always be the best-looking bloke in the family but I know he struggles with the changes to his appearance. Vitiligo can also be hereditary.

Lorraine Kelly's TV wardrobe Fri, February 10, 2017 Lorraine Kelly's TV wardrobe. Play slideshow REX 1 of 12 Lorraine Kelly wears a dress by LK Bennett and Office boots

My mum developed it a few years ago and my nephew Lawson has it too. Start to love your so-called flaws because we are only here for a short time. You could be wasting so much of your time and energy on things that don’t really matter that before you know it, life has passed you by.