Tragedy To Triumph: Inspirational Story Of ‘Britain’s Best Groomed Man’

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Father of three Les Langley beat off competition from thousands to win the competition, organised by male grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge in conjunction with male cancer charity Orchid.

It’s part of a national campaign to encourage men to check themselves for signs of cancer as part of their daily grooming routine, something Les says inspired him to enter, after experiencing the devastating effects of cancer first hand.

The 46-year-old bar owner from Sunderland, who was the oldest man in the competition, said: “After my first wife Alison died in January 2004 I became more aware that self-checking was vital.

“I just couldn’t cope with the thought of myself having cancer and my children Robbie and Tara possibly being left without any parents.”

Les, who is now married to his second wife, Charlotte, 31, and has a third child, one-year-old Max, says he’s enjoying his role as the face of The Bluebeards Revenge brand and being an ambassador to male cancer charity Orchid.

He said: “I now have an amazing opportunity to promote self-checking and hopefully save a few lives along the way. I really want to do my bit to raise the awareness of male cancers.”

The competition was launched after a recent survey commissioned by Orchid and The Bluebeards Revenge revealed that whilst men are spending more time in the bathroom and the ‘grooming gender gap’ is narrowing, they are still failing to self-check for cancer unlike their female counterparts who benefit from major health campaigns.

Rebecca Porta, Chief Executive of Orchid, said: “Regular grooming not only makes you look and feel more confident, it gives you an opportunity to take an active interest in your physical wellbeing. The bathroom is the prime place for men to check for signs of male cancer.

“Our research shows that three quarters of UK men recognise that a lump in the testes could be a sign of testicular cancer – but 25% still never check their testes. Checking testes takes less than five minutes and is a vital first step in the battle against testicular cancer. If caught early enough there is a 98% chance of survival.”