Campaigner chosen to front Changing Faces UK campaign

Gary Parsons has been chosen to be part of a major national campaign launched this week coinciding with Face Equality Week and Mental Health Awareness Week.

As one of six people chosen to front Changing Faces UK’s ‘Think Before You Speak’ campaign, Gary is the only campaigner based in the Midlands.

The campaign is backed by research showing 9 in 10 people with a visible difference say they lack confidence and self-esteem – with campaigners saying harmful comments from strangers are a daily reality that can stop people leaving their homes.

The Derbyshire-based campaigner and leadership speaker has Bell’s palsy – a condition that partially paralysed one side of his face – and spent nearly 20 years hiding his smile.

Gary says: ”People would say, ‘You could at least smile,’ which became a trigger. I just wanted to blend in. People aren’t entitled to your experience just because they’re curious. Think before you speak – it’s easy to get things wrong, and you never know what someone is carrying.”

Gary appeared on Channel 4’s Love My Face in 2025, where he spoke publicly about his Bell’s palsy for the first time on camera. He is also a campaigner and ambassador for Changing Faces UK, and a volunteer with Facial Palsy UK.