The television he makes awakens a mix of emotions in the viewer. A smile ispreceded by a tear at least as many times and vice versa. That is why oftenintense topics are discussed. One subject is central: the human being in allits facets. In the human interest programs Radio Gaga or The Weekends thepeople he talks to often dare to put their deepest feelings on the table. Thealways sympathetic Hessels succeeds time and again by displaying a largeportion of empathy. But the actor and presenter also knows how to gain thetrust of his interlocutors by giving an insight into his private life, hisperson and the things that affect him.
Also in the latest episode of his latest achievement Taxi Joris let Hesselslook into his heart. In one of the taxi rides, the cheerful TV maker talkscandidly about an insecurity that has been living in him for several years:his increasingly thinning haircut. Hessels receives a call from the AntwerpJens, a young man in his thirties who, like many other men, is starting tosuffer from hair loss. “It has gotten worse in recent years,” he says. “I usedto have a lot of thick hair and now it’s very thin and you can see throughit.”
“Now it’s all over because I’m going there anyway,” says Jens about hisupcoming surgery in Turkey. “At the back they take her away and then they putit in from above one by one. That will take a while,” explains Jens. “It takestwo hours to take the hairs out and four to put them back in. So you’ve lostsix hours.”
So why did he move specifically to the Middle East? “Because it is slightlymore expensive in Belgium. With everything included, flight, hotel, and theoperation itself, it comes down to about 2,500 euros.
“More confidence”
Jens indicates that he is very fond of his appearance and since he becamevisibly bald, the idea of having her implanted took place. “It startsbecause you start to see it yourself in the mirror. Especially when I wassitting at the hairdresser, with that light on, I noticed that I could reallysee through it. And that became more and more. I started to fall more and moreabout it,” says Jens.
The fact that the thirty-year-old attaches great importance to his appearanceis apparent when he talks about his passion for sport. “I used to be a bitchubby, which is why I want to exercise so much. I also have a personaltrainer,” says Jens. “I’m especially afraid of getting too fat. I used to notbelong to the most popular group. You always want to belong to the toughguys”, he shows himself vulnerable.
At the age of sixteen, he completely immersed himself in the fitness world.“As you see your body change, you automatically get more self-confidence,”says the Antwerp resident. “But sports is also a very external world, isn’tit?” Joris adds. “Did that speed up your decision?” he wonders. “I think so.People who look good get more attention from others,” is the telling answer.
Hide coves
And that is why, after years of doubt, Jens thought it was high time to takethe step. “I do expect when I get back, that I can go to the hairdresser againto have something decent done again, and to lay my hair properly.”
After the confessions of Jens, Hessels also has to get something off hischest. “I also look in the mirror and then I think: ‘it is very thin’. Inaddition, I spend a lot of time on TV and you start laying your hair in such away that you can’t see the coves or see through them,” the presenter admitsreadily. “I think that’s very bad about myself, because I think: ‘Who isworking on that now, besides yourself?’”, says Hessels.