Bye bye beardy! Kimberworth dad feeling the breeze after big shave

And the 33-year-old has raised more than £4,000 for Prostrate Cancer UK after losing the look he has adopted over the past nine years.

Barber Theo Economou performed the honours at Unorthodox, Dalton, on Saturday afternoon (pictured below).

And dad of two Michael, of Kimberworth, said: “He did the shave facing the crowd so I couldn’t see the mirror, only the crowd and my kids gasping!

“When he spun me around, it was just crazy to see. It took 20 years off and I looked just like when I was a school.

“The first thing I noticed after leaving was the breeze on my face. It was a strange feeling.

“And when I got in the car and did my seatbelt, I went to pull my beard away. It’s a definite case of phantom beard.”

Michael won sponsorship deals after netting regional and national titles for his beard — allowing him to travel to world championships in Austria and Belgium.

But he has no regrets in bidding farewell to his old face. “It’s been nice to have a proper wash,” he said. 

“I’ve been working outside a lot so I was worried about how it would look with the tan but it’s fine.”

Michael’s employers BOC, at Brinsworth, matched his fundraising — helping him beat the £4,000 mark. A stranger even sent £500.

Theo plans to keep the beard in a frame at the barbers. Michael’s donation page is still open at justgiving.com/fundraising/michaellegge.