Tinder’s most swiped man hid ‘massive secret’ from dates for 14 years

A man who earned the nickname Mr Tinder due to his dating app prowess has admitted the shameful secret he kept from dates for more than a decade… and the hair-raising moment he told his girlfriend

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A dating app’s top pick has admitted he had a hair transplant after secretly wearing wigs to date – for 14 years. Stefan-Pierre Tomlin was dubbed “Mr Tinder” in 2017 when it was revealed 14,600 women had swiped right on him looking for romance.

But the 35-year-old Londoner – who now owns match-making company Celebrity Love Coach – spent £42,000 “hiding” his receding hairline from dates for more than a decade.

Model Stefan, who went on over 50 dates with women and even landed himself in a few serious relationships, said: “It’s been a chip on my shoulder for over a decade.”

He first downloaded the dating app in June 2015 “became an addict” and over the next nine years, averaging over three hours a day swiping through potential matches.

He also walked runways for Burberry as well as staring on the MTV show Celebrity Ex on the Beach in 2021, but he “never showed” anyone his real hair and instead wore wigs, fibers and caps to “cover” his receding hairline.

Stefan, who described his hair as his “biggest in security” when he first noticed it starting to receded when he was 21, would fork out £3,000 a year on wigs to make his hair fuller as an “attempt to prevent anyone from noticing” his disappearing hair.

It even took him six months to admit the secret to girlfriend Vicki Batsford, 44, who he met in October 2024. In a final ditch effort to fully regain his confidence, Stefan spent £5,000 for a hair transplant procedure in February at British Hair Clinic, in Essex.

He said it has “changed his life” and he can be himself again – and recommends the surgery to any men going through the same and there’s “no shame to it.”

Stefan added: “My hair would be the first thought when I wake up and the last when I go to bed. I didn’t want anyone to see it – especially as a model. It may have ruined my career.”

“I fell into the habit of covering or amending my hairline to make everyone believe it was natural – even during my Tinder stint and modelling gigs. It became my number one mission. But eventually, I knew I couldn’t keep it up forever.”

Stefan first noticed his hair was receding at 21 years old after he looked in the mirror before a night out. He said: “It was one of the worst things that could happen to me.

“I immediately rushed into my mum’s make-up bag to grab a brown eyeliner pen to draw on a new hairline. It was a new low.”

Stefan “drew on” his hairline every day for three years until he switched to hair-building fibers – £30 a tube – and wigs as his hairline continued to recede. He spent over £3,000 a year on wigs and maintenance and saw a specialist barber in Notting Hill for treatment.

He added: “It was incredibly difficult hiding it from people – I never had the confidence to show or tell anyone. There was one time I was invited to shoot a trailer for Love Island and I was asked to jump in a swimming pool.

“But I was wearing my fibers and they weren’t allowed to get wet as they would smudge. So I said I couldn’t swim and I often found myself lying to save the embarrassment of showing my real hair.”

He added: “Even the pictures on my dating profile were of me with fibers in – and hair was always a topic of conversation I would avoid on dates. If a woman was to tussle my hair, I’d dodge away from their hand. They probably thought I was a little bit mental.”

Even when things were getting serious with a potential women, Stefan admitted to wearing durags when he slept over to keep his hair from sight. And he would even try a “wake up a few hours earlier” to tend to his hairline before his dates would wake up.

It wasn’t until he met his partner, Vicki Batsford, 44, in October 2024, that he felt “comfortable” enough to reveal his secret – six months later. He said: “I couldn’t keep the gig up forever.

“Vicki made me feel trusted and safe – and when I finally explained she said she loved me for who I was. Even though I felt confident in the moment, my hair was still receding and I knew I needed to start looking for a permanent fix.”

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