[Mrluvaluva]

From EDP24

24 April 2007 08:33

Former Big Brother star Craig Coates's salon has been closed for the past week with no date to re-open, mystifying clients and the Norfolk hairdressing community.

Mr Coates opened the salon in Pottergate, Norwich, amid a huge blaze of publicity last summer but was unavailable last night to shed light on the mystery.

On his Myspace web page, the 22-year-old has posted a blog saying that he had cut his thumb in an accident in the salon, forcing him to take time off work.

But the entire salon, which boasted several hair stylists when it launched, is shut and clients have turned up for appointments over the past week to find the doors locked and no staff around.

Phone calls to the salon have also gone unanswered.

A notice in the salon itself states: “Sorry for the inconvenience, open soon as poss.”

No one to represent Mr Coates could be contacted except his former publicity agent Sally Learmouth of Response, who handled his publicity when the salon opened. She said that he was no longer with her.

However, Mr Coates's Myspace blog, entitled 'ouch!' and dated April 14, states: “I had an incident with a glass vase at work this week. I was carrying it and it slipped and somehow managed to almost slice my thumb off.

“Lots of blood and gore and quite dramatic even for me! I went to the A & E department at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital where I was taken great care of by all the staff there. Thank you all so much. Anyway, it resulted in me having 28 stitches in my thumb.”

He added: “I am taking a break from the salon until I have recovered from my injury, and atm (at the moment) I am not sure how long that will take.

At least the weather has perked up so my convalescence will be in the sunshine.”

Mr Coates, from Cromer, shot to fame when he appeared on Big Brother 6 in 2005 and was the 11th contestant to leave the house, having stayed there for 11 weeks.