Champion beard-grower proves he has the chops

Mick "The Chops" Wallage won his latest title in Germany

A man who took up competitive facial hair growing following a life-changing accident has been named world mutton chops champion for the third time.

Mick "The Chops" Wallage, from Ripley in Derbyshire, won his latest title at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Germany on Sunday.

Mr Wallage, cultivated his mutton chops following a road crash in 2004 that left him in a wheelchair for months.

He said: "I describe the championships as Crufts for men with beards."

Mr Wallage, 62, a former lorry driver, said he had been inspired to grow his mutton chops after watching a TV programme called Whisker Wars while he was recovering from the crash that forced him to quit his job.

"It was a reality show about the competitive bearding circuit in America," he said.

"There were nine major operations involved so I watched daytime television.

"At one point they were talking about amputating the left leg, so it was a long road to recovery.

"I thought 'If I'm stuck in this wheelchair forever, I can do that - I can grow a beard.'"

Hair today

Mr Wallage said he had always been competitive

• The term "mutton chops" to describe facial hair entered the vocabulary in the 19th Century

• It describes whiskers that were thin at the top and bulged at the bottom

• They were then shaved to resemble a chop of meat - hence the name

Mr Wallage said he began by growing an "immense moustache" but then discovered it did not fit into the standard bearding competition categories.

"I've always been competitive and I wanted to compete," he said.

"So I spoke to the president of the British Beard Club and he suggested I try the mutton chops."

Mr Wallage is now the proud owner of the best mutton chops in the world, having triumphed at the championships in 2017, in Texas and 2019 in Antwerp, as well as the 2023 event in Burghausen.

"The atmosphere was absolutely amazing," he said.

"There were people from 28 countries."

He achieved full marks in every category, he added, including marks for naturalness, condition and showmanship.

Mr Wallage's partner Kay supports him to get to the various competitions, due to ongoing mobility issues from the accident.

"I can't walk long distances, so she pushes me in a chair," he said. "And I'm quite shy of talking about it but she tells everyone I'm a world champion."

David Dade, president and co-founder of The British Beard Club, said Mr Wallage had been a member on and off since 2013.

"I and the club are delighted that his tenacity and strength of character has turned what was a serious punctuation of his working life into a wonderful carousel of worldwide beard championship successes, smiles, new friendships, fun and fundraising," he said.