CALIFORNIAN Salym Sutton has styled a new life for herself after moving to Swindon to be with the man she loves.

The 34-year-old hairdresser, who hails from north of San Francisco, has launched her own business just in time for the first anniversary of her wedding to Scott.

She is planning to specialise in styling and colouring wigs for women who have lost their hair through illness or pregnancy.

“I always wanted to get into doing wigs. Sometimes people don’t feel well, but if their hair feels good they feel better,” she said. “I think it is massively important. If you don’t feel well and you look like you don’t feel well you feel worse about yourself.”

“If you feel prettier I think it can actually make you feel better.”

“Making a woman feel good from inside out, is something I really pride myself on,” she said. “Even if you just take a shower and wash your hair you feel better.”

Colouring wigs and giving them an upbeat style while making the hair look natural is key.

Salym, who was working in a salon in the town until she decided to go it alone, left her home to go travelling in 2008.

“It was a really emotional time in my life,” she said. “I’d just moved back to California from Arizona and I really wanted to do a little bit of soul searching.”

She was in Vietnam with a girl friend when she first met the man she was to marry. They continued their journey together to Thailand and became firm friends.

They stayed in touch when she returned home. But it was a chance suggestion by a while she was visiting Croatia in 2014 to go and see Scott while they were in Europe, that resulted in her visiting Swindon for the first time.

“We had a brilliant time together but I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him,” she said.

She was heartbroken when it was time to leave, but a year later they were married.

“I do miss California, but I think the benefits of being here far outweigh being back there. We have a really good time together,” she said.

She is currently running her hair styling business from home in Stanmore Street. “It has been really sweet, all the support that I’ve received,” she said.