KELLE BRYAN wakes up every morning and immediately drinks a cup of hot water with a slice of fresh lemon.
This is not simply her favourite cuppa. The lemon is a key ingredient in her skincare regime.
In her twenties, the Eternal singer turned Loose Women panellist discovered she had lupus, a condition that affects the immune system.
She developed ulcers on her face, ears, arms and scalp. But after endless research, Kelle found the citrus fruit was incredibly beneficial.
She says: “Whether I am on set or not, I always have lemon water, as it means I don’t get any breakouts.
“If I don’t have it for four days, I guarantee, my skin will change. So I don’t take the risk.
“My skin has been something I really had to work hard at because having lupus, I used to have ulcerated skin everywhere — even in my mouth. And it was really painful.
“So when I was recovering from that, I started adding lemon into my water and noticed a difference.
“It has taken years to get to where I am now, where I can quite confidently walk around and feel happy in my skin.
“It’s so liberating not having to cover up or wear hats, or put my hair over my face. That’s what I used to do so people wouldn’t look at it. It’s a horrible feeling. Now it’s as smooth as a baby’s bum! I fully appreciate that.”
Now 46, married and mum to son Regan, ten, and daughter Kayori, eight, Kelle was diagnosed with lupus in 1998.
The condition sees the immune system mistakenly attack healthy parts of the body and can cause extreme tiredness, joint pain, ulcers and rashes.
Kelle says: “It was horrendous. I don’t have any pictures (of that time) because I ripped them up. It was painful.
“The ulcers were weeping and I was constantly trying to pack make-up on top because it was awful. And with black skin, when it’s healing, it keloids (turning into a thick, raised scar).
“So it was really important to start a routine. Firstly, I had to get the disease under control, then let it heal and then you start skin treatment.
“I found a black-skin specialist on London’s Liverpool Street — the Dynasty Clinic, owned by Jenny Harding. She changed my life for ever.
“She educated me on how skin works biologically and that taught me about exfoliation and holding on to my skin. I went to her for weekly facials designed to calm and heal my skin.
“Once that was done, she started with chemical peels — but only once it was healthy. Now I don’t need to go to her any more because of my routine.”
Twice a day Kelle uses biodegradable face wipes, washes her face with a cleanser then applies Paula’s Choice day-or-night cream, which includes a percentage of alpha hydroxy acids or AHA. It’s a chemical exfoliant that helps remove dead skin calls from the top layer of your skin.
She says: “I don’t use toner because I find it can dry the skin afterwards. My focus is now on the skin renewal process, which also slows down ageing and this is what people forget, especially black women.
“People can end up smothering themselves in cocoa butter. But really you’re holding on to dead skin when actually, you want to get rid of it — which is what AHA products do.”
Despite the demands of a busy life that includes acting on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as well as stints on ITV’s Loose Women, Kelle is often told she has not aged since the Nineties. So it is no surprise she has a few tricks up her sleeve.
She says: “I make my own scrubs. I use a slice of lemon mixed with different oils from herbalist shops and fine salt. Not sea salt because it’s too harsh and abrasive.
“Then you just gently rub that on to your face. Wash it off and your skin feels amazing. Lemon is my saviour! It is an antiseptic. It’s good for everything.
“I also give myself an ‘instant facelift’ by doing braids super-tight. If you are wearing a wig, do your two braids at the side and then hoick them up. Another recommendation of mine is to get a fringe. It hides a multitude of sins.”
Kelle has so far steered clear of going under the knife. But she is not against making tweaks in the future.
She says: “I haven’t had any needles, never had Botox, a nip or tuck or a facelift or any work done. I’m not saying I wouldn’t in the future. If I needed it, I wouldn’t think twice.
“I am fortunate I haven’t needed to and I have just been doing skin renewals since my twenties. So I haven’t got any wrinkles I am worried about.”
Kelle has had the chance to glean tips and tricks from make-up artists she has worked with over the years.
She says: “I met a very ‘old-school Hollywood glamour’ make-up artist when I was in Eternal. He would paint you like you were an easel and sculpt your face with paint brushes.
“I learned so much — and that is my foundation base. It’s not contouring, which I can’t bear. He taught me how to blend black skin and that I have red tones under my skin. He would say I was probably never going to find the perfect match, so I had to mix it with a colour palette rather than using a singular base colour.
“My base is a combination of two colours in the L’Oreal True Match range — N.8 cappuccino and 8.5/8.5 W Caramel. Now it’s something I could never live without.
“But don’t get me wrong — there have been some disasters too. I look back and think, ‘What was I thinking?’ This is why I am good at doing my make-up. Unfortunately there’s not very many people that could do my make-up.
“There were times when I looked like a panda! It was a disaster and even now, with professional make-up artists around me, I still do my own base because no one knows my face like I do.
“Now I have my own tricks as well, like I use eyeliner by Christian Dior instead of a lipliner. It’s always been brilliant and lasts longer than lip liner.”
To look after her hair, Kelle sleeps with her head off the end of the bed.
She says: “If you’re prepped for a video and they’ve prepped your hair, you will have to sleep with your head at the edge of the bed so your head hangs off and you don’t mess up your hair for the next day. Or fall asleep sitting up! It’s horrible.”
But there is one tip, more than any other, that Kelle lives by. It comes from her mother Marilyn.
She says: “It’s more important than anything else — having confidence. She used to say to me, ‘I don’t care what you look like, it doesn’t matter. It’s what’s on the inside that matters’.
“My mum was confident within herself. Then she would always say, ‘I’m beautiful, so of course you are beautiful!’
“And it’s true. I really think if you are happy with yourself from within, that will shine through.”
