Meeting India's Poorest Children Made Me Realise Losing My Hair Isn't So Terrible; GAIL PORTER EXCLUSIVE

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Byline: From CLAIRE DONNELLY in Delhi

F ROM the moment Gail Porter walked into a glitzy TV launch party last Saturday, sporting a shocking red mohican haircut, the rumour mill has been in overdrive.

Is she battling cancer? Is she having a nervous breakdown?

Today, the 34-year-old TV presenter, who is in Delhi to lend her support to the charity ActionAid, is happy to put the record straight.

No, she doesn't have cancer. But she is suffering from stress-related alopecia, which has resulted in her dramatic hair-loss.

Her blonde locks have been falling out for weeks, and she recently decided to shave off most of her thinning hair rather than end up shedding clumps in public.

And, no, she is not having a nervous breakdown. But she is battling back from one of the toughest years of her life.

If further proof is needed that Scots-born Gail has got her act together, you only have to look at her laughing and joking with the street children of Delhi.

Seeing the work that ActionAid is doing with these desperate kids, is also helping the mum-of-one put her own life in perspective.

"In a way, shaving my head feels like a new beginning to …