Can a Claudia Winkleman-style clip-on fringe really boost your sex life?

COULD changing your hairstyle have fringe benefits in the bedroom?

Strictly host Claudia Winkleman recently told the world her sex life only began when she created her fringe.

She said: “I was 21 and a virgin, I got my fringe and everything started happening.

“People ask what I am hiding with my fringe – and it’s a massive forehead that is repellent.”

So can a fringe really improve your sex life? And what if you’re too scared to go for the chop?

Fear not. Clip-on fringes are booming in popularity. Anna Roberts asked three women to try them out and report back . . . 

Jennifer, 39

WRITER Jennifer Barton, 39, lives in South London, with her banker husband Will Packer, 37, and their children Diana, 11, Liv, nine, Stella, six, and Ada, four.

Jennifer wore a fringe by Hot Hair that costs £32. She says…

At nearly 40, you might think I’m too old for spots. Alas I’m not… they just blend in among my wrinkles.

And I am prone to pimples on my forehead. So I was keen to try a fringe as a last-ditch attempt at hiding them.

But, despite my favourite actress Zooey Deschanel rocking a fringe, I didn’t think one would suit me.

I fretted it would elongate my oval head and look weird and fake.

I’ve never had one, even as a kid, although I had experimented over the years with a rainbow of hair colours including blue and pink and varying lengths.

So I was delighted when I learnt you could get a clip-on. I thought it might look a bit mad so I was really pleased with the result. It only took me a few minutes and three clips.

Heading home on the train, I was quite self-conscious and initially kept my head bent forward but no one gawped.

People didn’t seem to realise it was fake as, although it’s synthetic, the texture looks loads like hair.

It’s surprisingly natural, although you have to cut it into a specific style.

And my kids loved it. “I want to try it on,” shouted Stella, my six-year-old, as they fought over it.

My husband Will seemed a bit more nonplussed. It was only a few months ago I cut off my long hair and I think he thought his wife was going to get a total makeover every few weeks.

I wore it to drop off the kids at school on Thursday.

So many people – fellow mums and even teachers – complimented me on it, commenting that they loved my new haircut.

Some asked me what hairdressers I’d gone to.

“I didn’t recognise you,” said one woman.

Everyone thought it was real and they were really complimentary.

When I revealed it was fake, many asked where I had got it.

Now I think I’m going to stick with my normal hair but clip on the fringe for special occasions – if I can steal it back from my daughters.

Gina, 52

DOUBLE-GLAZING company director Gina Moss, 52, who lives in Southend, Essex, with co-director husband Les, 65, and their grown-up children of 25 and 22.

Gina wore a £6.99 Fashion Idol fringe. She says…

I didn’t expect a fringe to work the wonders Claudia Winkleman claimed for hers when she said it was thanks to her fringe that she lost her virginity.

Men love long hair they can tug on, but a fringe? I’m not so sure.

Saying that, I’m not getting any younger. I look good now but, with a love of sunbathing and red wine, for how much longer?

I’ve had the same hairstyle since I was 19 – long and wavy. I think I really need Botox, but I’m too scared to have it. I’ve heard too many horror stories.

But I still want to look young, so a fringe could be the answer.

When I heard about a clip-in option, I jumped at the chance to try it.

The fringe I got was a bit wispy for my liking, but my niece and sister said it looked fab.

My daughter was a bit more scathing. “It looks hideous, Mum,” she scolded. To be frank, I wondered if she was right.

In a taxi, I couldn’t stop snapping pictures of myself with a fringe, trying different angles.

But after I arrived home, my husband of 24 years, who is used to my hair as it is, looked a bit sceptical. “I liked it as it was,” he said.

That night we went out for dinner and our friends didn’t even notice I’d done anything different to my ’do.

After dinner, it rained and my beautiful straightened fringe immediately went soggy, reminding me why, with naturally kinky hair, it is unlikely I’m ever getting one cut in. They’re simply too much maintenance.

Still, at least I had one fan by the end of it. The next day I tied my hair up to go to the gym.

Sending my husband a gym selfie, he responded: “You look really beautiful.”

So it seems he actually loves my fringe – just not when my hair is loose.

I’m glad I tried out a fringe, but it isn’t long-term. Then again, Botox isn’t either.

I’m not planning to give up the sunbathing and wine, so I guess I’m just going to have to embrace any wrinkles that might arrive.

Lynsey, 41

PUBLICIST Lynsey Carratt, 41, who lives in East London, with her software developer husband James, 40, and their daughter, Mia, three months, wore a fringe by Hot Hair, £32. She says…

I last had a fringe in 2014 and, while I liked it, it was very high maintenance – straightening, blow-drying . . .  and God forbid if it rains.

I couldn’t afford (or be bothered) to go to the hairdressers for constant top-up cuts so opted to trim it myself. That was a disaster – it went wonky.

I grew it out and have not had one since, but my longing for a fringe hasn’t gone.

Becoming a mum at 41 and going to mother and baby groups made it worse.

I was the oldest mum there by a country mile and every wrinkle on my forehead made me feel 100.

I’d previously had “baby Botox” – a more natural-looking version – but being a new mum meant money and time were in short supply. So I decided to get a fringe instead, figuring it would hide my wrinkles.

“It’ll make me look way younger,” I thought.

I know Claudia Winkleman claimed her mammoth fringe led to her losing her virginity, but that seems bonkers to me – I’m a mum to a newborn, nothing is going to light up my bed. We’re up every four hours feeding Mia.

So, with my chequered history of fringes at the forefront of my mind, I decided to get a clip-on fringe. I hated it.

It was really difficult to match my super-bright blonde hair colour and what I was left with was wispy and thin.

Walking through London with the fringe on, I didn’t feel young and confident, which is what I’d envisioned.

Instead I felt old and mumsy. It framed my face in an unpleasant way and I didn’t look young at all.

Meeting a pal at a gig, she spotted something was different immediately. “You don’t normally have a fringe,” she said, claiming it looked good.

When I arrived home, James was totally indifferent. “Do you fancy me more?” I asked him. “No.”

“Less?” I queried. “No.” Men . . . 

Overall, my fringe experiment was a big no. My bloke didn’t notice, it did nothing for my sex life and it made me feel older.

I’m opting for a hair-free forehead – but thank goodness I tried it before reaching for the scissors this time.