Strictly Come Dancing star forced to totally shave head after hair caught fire on hike

Strictly Come Dancing star Bill Bailey had to cut his signature locks after setting them on fire on a barbecue.

The 59-year-old, who won the 2020 series of the dance competition, is set to appear on the Graham Norton show tonight, alongside actress Amy Adams, Bruce 'The Boss' Springsteen and American star Vanessa Williams.

But his signature hair became a health and safety hazard, when comedian Bill was told by "the universe" to chop it off.

Speaking to Graham, he explained: "I was on a hiking holiday in the summer and at one point I was leaning over a barbecue and my hair caught on fire. I think the universe was telling me it was time."

And his cut seems to be doing wonders for his image, with Bill added: "The other day someone came up to me and said, 'You look just like Bill Bailey, but younger.' It’s great," reports.

Bill announced his new hair do on social media, sharing a snap of his shorn scalp on . The Black Books star wrote: "After many, many years of being a barbershy hippy I’ve finally had a haircut . Feels a bit , but I’m learning to like it."

Meanwhile, Bill recently opened on how he met his wife in 1987. "Free spirit" Kristin was running the Edinburgh bar that Bill was gigging in when he spotted her and immediately clicked.

Describing the impression Kristin had made on him during a 2015 interview with the Scotsman, Bill, 59, recalled: "She had a very distinctive style. She had this long brocade coat, and I realised she was a free spirit and did her own thing. We ended up chatting away, and all went to a party, and she put me up on her sofa."

Bill bought Kristin flowers to thank her for putting him up but knew he didn't want to say goodbye. This was, of course, back in the days before social media and messages, and Bill knew he had to put some effort in if he was to win the heart of the intriguing woman he fondly referred to as his 'wild card'.

And so, lovelorn Bill set about penning letters to Kristin - every day for an entire year. He explained: "I didn't have a computer for email, phoning wasn't easy. It was very old-fashioned." Ultimately, his romantic gesture paid off and the pair became a couple.

After dating for a decade, Bill and former costume designer Kristin decided to tie the knot and, just like the early days of their courtship, their wedding was as romantic as it was unconventional. While travelling through Indonesia in 1998, the by-then long-term couple decided to get married - without a second to lose.

During a 2009 interview with The Independent, Bill shared: "We were travelling around Asia and sailed into a place called Banda, with a beautiful lagoon, and a smoking volcano on one side and a Dutch colonial fort, an old church and remains of a little town on the other. We decided to get married there and then."

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