Film producer joins team of birthmark ambassadors

Dean Woodford worked with Martin Scorsese, and he credits his own distinctive birthmark for helping secure the role

A film producer has joined a new team of influencers who are trying to offer support for people with birthmarks and their families.

Dean Woodford is one of the three new ambassadors unveiled earlier this month by the Birthmark Support Group charity.

The 41-year-old, from Loughton in Essex, said his distinctive birthmark, which covers much of his upper body, actually helped him secure a job on a film co-produced by Martin Scorsese.

He said someone else in the industry only remembered him thanks to his appearance.

"That was a massive turning point for me where I realised I actually stood out," he said.

'Embracing identity'

Dean Woodford has also written and published a children's book

Mr Woodford said his dad used to cover his arm when they went out.

"I got called every name you could think of: Red arm boy, red neck, Skittles, Ribena kid, you name it," he explained.

"I had got told previously by a teacher that I should reconsider what I wanted to do at school, [and] that I should look for a different area because no-one's going to want to hire me looking like this'... which really put me off for a long time."

At a film festival many years later, Mr Woodford met the producer who later helped him land the gig on Tomorrow.

The 2018 British drama features actors Stephen Fry, Joss Stone and Paul Kaye.

He said he realised his birthmark could help create an identity, just as tattoos and piercings do for others.

"I really stood out and... without sounding cheesy, I started embracing that and making a highlight of it.

"Without my birthmark, I do not believe I'd be stood here now, making the films and books."

He has also written and published a children's novel, about space-travelling dinosaurs, named Cretaceous Crater.

'I believed I was ugly'

Ms Elsegood wanted to be a role model for children

Mum Amy Elsegood, from Leeds, wanted to become a role model for other children - having not had one herself during school.

"If somebody was going to say something mean, that would be the first thing they'd say. Like, 'Oh, you've got a blob on your face, you're ugly'," explained the 33-year-old, who is a model and content creator.

"I always grew up believing that I was ugly.

"My parents said that I wasn't, obviously. They think I was the most beautiful little girl ever created.

"[Also] there was no such thing as social media, so I felt like I was the only girl in the world that looked like me, so there was nobody for me to look up to; there was no role model - there was nobody. "

'I thought she had a tumour'

Lucy said she was not aware the marks could develop after a birth

Lucy, from Wakefield in West Yorkshire, remembers thinking her newborn Lola might have had a cancerous growth.

"A couple of weeks after birth, we started to notice red patches round her ear and her throat and lips that then continued to grow," said the 32-year-old.

"The clue's in the name, birthmark.

"You assume that they're from birth, so that was the first massive learning curve for me.

"It started to grow really large, almost like a tumour."

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has supported the Birthmark Support Group, and its specialist in paediatric dermatology has joined the campaign to help dispel other myths.

Dr Samira Batul Syed said: "Early reassurance is important, as we often see distressed families who think they may have consumed something wrong during pregnancy.

"There is no evidence to suggest this."

However, she said some marks may require a medical examination, such as a port-wine stain and haemangiomas.

The Birthmark Support Group is hosting a relaunch event at Essex County Cricket Ground on 11 October.