What first inspired you to get into hair?

Unfortunately, my mother passed away when I was 13 and my younger sister was three at the time so it meant I took charge of doing her hair and I just loved it. I think it was a good way to bond in a traumatic time. She always loved what I did and even though she was really young, it made me feel good. The trauma from my mother dying meant I didn’t perform as well as I should have in my GCSE's; instead I used to look at fashion magazines and think ‘I could do that' – but I wasn’t the girl who always wanted to be a hairdresser per se.

How did the salon on Portobello come to be?

I had worked for a number of great salons across the city but when I had my son at 23, it was really hard to juggle work and motherhood so thought it would be ideal to have my own shop. So I put together a business plan with the Prince’s Trust when I was 27 and got my first shop in Kilburn. It was in a business centre and it was pretty hidden but from the 50 clients I had I was able to build it to over 300 and moved the shop to Portobello four years later. I've had it for 13 years and it’s a dream, it’s the perfect spot for me. There’s a great community spirit here in Portobello and the fact that some of the stylists who work here live locally makes me really happy.

Who are some of the notable people who you've had in the salon?

We have had so many people... Eve is a regular, Beverley Knight, Lorraine Pascale, Joy Bryant, Janelle Monae, Zadie Smith. Thandie Newton wants to come in, she’s been doing lots of pieces around my products. Even Senegal’s first lady!

What’s been one of the most memorable moments of your career so far?

Definitely winning Afro Hairdresser of the year and the launch of my products. I have been working on them for so long, it kind of felt like I was pregnant for six years and when they were released I gave birth! [laughs] And of course, having my children, they are my rock.