Asha Mandela

She has to wind it up into a baby sling when she leaves the house which gives her a greater degree of freedom. But Mrs Mandela worries that 'someone with a hair fetish' will cut off a lock of her hair when she is not looking.
Doctors have also asked her to consider cutting her hair for health reasons, including the risk of bacterial infection. But their main concern is the weight. She said: 'The doctors seem to think I have a curvature of my spine and that it's the length and the weight of my hair that's making me curve. Some have said my neck has collapsed at the back and that I need to be careful because I could start having spasms in my spine and probably be paralysed.'
Mrs Mandela, who has a 11-year-old son, Zion, with her second husband, said her hair has helped her love life. She said: 'My hair has never caused a problem with intimacy. I think it adds a little spice on top.'