Melinda Messenger, 52, reveals cruel trolls told her she looked ‘old’ afer letting her hair go grey

Melinda Messenger has revealed that people said she looked “old” and “disgusting” after she decided to let her hair go gray.

The former glamor model, 52, ditched her platinum blonde locks in favor of the natural look, saying the look didn’t go over well with some vicious trolls.

Appearing on Friday’s Loose Women, Melinda said she became “aware of the judgment” women face when they go gray.

She explained, “It was definitely about embracing a phase of life. Most people were nice, but some said, “it looks disgusting, you look so old, why would you do that?”

Melinda shared how she hadn’t dyed her hair in a while and then decided to make the change permanent ahead of a TV appearance.

She said, “I hadn’t put color in for ages and I was getting ready to do a TV show and thought I should get my roots done and [her daughter] Evie said, “But mom, you like your hair the way it is.”

“I sort of assumed I was meant to look a certain way, but it made me think.”

Melinda has since left modeling in favor of a career as a psychotherapist, but some of the star’s clients have recognized her as a pin-up from her days.

She said, ‘It happened and it’s fine. I’m here to serve them, it’s not about me.

“Some clients recognized me at first and it came up, but it quickly moved on. The space is all about them.’

It comes after Melinda recently revealed that she is still hot property and often asked out by younger men.

The five-year-old revealed last year that she freed herself by letting her blonde locks turn gray and has been fighting off toyboys ever since.

Speaking of her romantic prospects, the 1990s icon said, “I’ve had guys half my age ask me out. Those who recognize me already know how old I am – although it still doesn’t seem to be a problem.

“I can’t help but think, ‘I’m literally old enough for yShe to be our mother.'”

Melinda divorced her husband Wayne Roberts in 2012, with whom she has children Morgan, 23, Flynn, 21, and Evie, 19, after getting married in Bali in 1998 and since then she has launched herself back into the dating pool with full force .

The stunner confessed that she is in a relationship with a mystery man – whom she firmly refused to identify. Speaking to The Sun, she said: “I’m open to marriage again. It has to be with the right person at the right time.’

After being single for three years, she emphasized the importance of women spending time alone and not being consumed by a romance.

She continued, “Dating someone doesn’t mean you’re going to marry them and be together forever. It can take several weeks, months or years. That’s the beauty and the magic of it.

“Wayne and I were together for 20 years. I’ve been in a number of relationships since then and I haven’t found anyone to marry yet. I wanted time to myself and being alone is so nourishing. It was time well spent and I recommend it to everyone.’

Last August, Melinda took to Instagram to talk about her hair transformation, when she admitted that showing off her gray hair was “an act of self-love.”

Alongside a gorgeous selfie, she wrote the caption, “Why growing my silver/grey hair is an act of self love for me…

“I used to feel like I had to look a certain way, that I needed makeup and nice hair, especially if I was going to be seen in public…

“What I’ve come to understand is that it was because I didn’t really value who I was. Partly the conditioning to get validation for ‘looking good’ but a whole lot of not loving myself enough…

“It took me 51 years to realize that I was always good enough (we all are [smiling emoji] so I don’t want to spend the next few years of my life feeling like I have to be anything other than just myself. I’ve finally given myself permission to just be…

“This doesn’t mean I’ll never get treatment or be completely ready, I will, but I’ll do that because it’s fun and because I want…

“Not because I don’t feel good about myself the way I am. That way I tell the child in me that I love you just the way you are, so she can get on with the real thing of playing and loving life.’

In February, Melinda admitted she’s “happier than ever” at 51 and won’t stop “challenging herself” as she gets older.

The former Page 3 model, who rose to fame after being spotted on a billboard for a window firm in Swindon in 1997, is now focusing on her fitness.

Melinda, who has been tipped to take part in SAS’s next celebrity series: Who Dares Wins, is now training for a 48-mile hike across Nepal.

In an interview with The Mirror, she said: ‘Being 50 is such an important and powerful stage in life. And the challenge is to keep growing and developing.

“You shouldn’t stop when you reach a certain age. It’s good to keep challenging yourself. As I get older I’m much happier and I don’t care what I look like if I fail.’