Trevor Sorbie, the 76-year-old celebrity hairdresser and This Morning regular, has revealed he has “weeks to live” after declining chemotherapy treatment for his terminal bowel cancer.
Sorbie explained his decision in a new interview in which he delved into why he was turning down the help, insisting he would go out “on his own terms”.
In a candid interview with the Times, he said: “Chemo might give me another month but I can’t face any more of that poison.”
The renowned stylist, who last month announced his cancer had spread to his liver, expressed frustration at the uncertainty surrounding his prognosis.
“When I asked a nurse if I’d still be here at Christmas, she said, ‘We don’t know, Trevor’. And that annoyed me,” Sorbie shared.
He added defiantly: “I’ve got cancer in my body, but not in here. My brain is my engine and I’ll go when I’m ready.”
Trevor Sorbie recently returned to This Morning to discuss his cancer diagnosis
ITV
Sorbie’s illustrious career spans six decades, during which he styled the hair of numerous celebrities and music icons.
His clientele included Adam Ant, Bryan Ferry, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys, Kylie Minogue, Grace Jones, and Robbie Williams. He also had the honour of styling the late Queen Elizabeth II and Dame Helen Mirren.
A four-time British Hairdresser of the Year winner and MBE recipient, Sorbie revolutionised the industry with iconic cuts such as the wedge and the wolf.
In 1979, he opened his first salon in Covent Garden, quickly establishing himself alongside industry giants like Leonard of Mayfair and Vidal Sassoon.
Trevor Sorbie (pictured in 2000) is one of the country’s best-know hairdressers
PA
At the height of his career, Sorbie commanded £300 per cut and expanded his business to six salons.
In 2009, Sorbie stepped back from salon work to focus on his charity, My New Hair. He founded the organisation after styling a wig for his sister-in-law, Jackie, who was undergoing chemotherapy for bone cancer.
Through this charity, Sorbie has trained thousands of hairdressers not only in wig-cutting techniques but also in communicating with individuals nearing the end of their lives.
“I’ve cut wigs for women so far gone they can’t lift their heads,” Sorbie shared with the Times. “You have to radiate empathy – I’m going to help you. I’m going to make you look good.”
One particularly poignant moment came when Sorbie styled a wig for a terminally ill bride at Princess Alice Hospice. “I wasn’t in a room with a dying woman, I was in a room with a woman who was getting married,” he recalled.
This experience led Sorbie to realise: “I’m not just a hairdresser. I feel special.”
Sorbie intends to die at home and has expressed his desire not to have a funeral. “Too upsetting. When the time comes, my ashes will be interred with Carole’s and our little dog,” he told the Times.
Despite his diagnosis, Sorbie remains defiant. “I’m going to defy medical science,” he insists.
“If the cancer reaches my brain, then I’ll accept it, but until then, I’m in charge, and I’m going on my terms.”
The hairdresser credits his wife, Carole, for her unwavering support, describing her as “Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa rolled into one.”
Sorbie’s focus now is on making the most of his remaining time. “I want to live every day enjoying what I’ve got and making the most of it,” he shared.
Ordinary activities, such as watching a film and having pizza with Carole, have taken on new significance for Sorbie. “I never knew dying could be this much fun,” he remarked.
