I lost my hair to MS treatment - now my wigs are worn by Naomi Campbell and Serena Williams

I lost my hair to MS treatment - now my wigs are worn by Naomi Campbell and Serena Williams

When Antonia Okonma Shittu was told she had multiple sclerosis (MS) and would be in a wheelchair within a year, she refused to believe it.

The 26-year-old, who was between acting roles and working in a call centre at the time, said the diagnosis was a "massive turning point" in her life.

"It does really make you think about what you want to do in life," she said.

She reflected on what she loved doing as a child - styling hair - and decided to use the shock of the diagnosis as motivation to turn that passion into a business.

Antonia, who grew up on a council estate in west London, bought two wigs and began selling them door to door from the boot of her car.

Nearly two decades on, she is now the owner of a multi-million-pound brand, with well-known clients including tennis star Serena Williams, model Naomi Campbell and actress Niecey Nash.

Antonia, now 44, still has health struggles, after also being diagnosed with Graves' disease - an autoimmune condition - and heart failure, but she hopes her experience of running a hair empire while fitting in hospital appointments can encourage other women.

Antonia says she spotted a gap in the market while working in TV and film, including on the ITV series Bad Girls two decades ago, where she was surrounded by "terrible" wigs.

"Women wanted natural-looking wigs and they just weren't available. They looked like helmets!"

Antonia created a Facebook page and started advertising on Gumtree. "I had very limited resources. I didn't have any investors behind me. I come from very humble beginnings."

She says her experience living with MS has contributed to her success. Antonia lost her hair during chemotherapy after a bone marrow transplant, so she knows what it is like to be "completely bald".

That, she explains, helped her connect more deeply with customers, because she understands the sense of loss of control some women feel when they lose their hair.

"I didn't feel like myself," she says, "but being able to put on a wig that looks something close to how your hair was, or the look you used to have, it's as though you can feel like yourself again."

Seeing a woman put on a wig and have her "whole face lights up" can be "very, very rewarding", she says.

"When we feel good about ourselves...we're more confident, we can achieve more. I felt like I was changing the world, one person at a time."

Although Antonia's business, A-List Lace Hair, has gone from strength to strength, with salons in London and New York, she has also been coping with the effects of her health conditions.

She has fatigue because of her MS and uses a wheelchair, but says that has not prevented her success. Instead, it has simply altered how she runs her business.

"I used to feel that being a good entrepreneur was being able to do as much as I can myself," Antonia said.

"Due to my health challenges, there are days where I literally can't feel my legs, they feel like jelly, there's days where I'm completely exhausted after sleeping, I wake up completely shattered."

This has made her "trust other people and gain strength in building a team".

As a woman in business, being in a wheelchair can sometimes make Antonia feel "smaller" because people often have to look down at her at industry events.

"People are often surprised when I start speaking about my business, as though they're thinking 'how have you accomplished all of this in a wheelchair?'"

Antonia, who has three young children, says being underestimated can be a positive thing, and she wants to stay open about her health in order to inspire other women.

She says she once felt "weak" because of her disability, but now feels she has gained "so much strength" from sharing her story online.

When asked what she would tell another woman who fears her age, disability or health might stand in the way of success, she says: "I would encourage them to just start."

"You might not have control over your health, you might not know what tomorrow is going to bring, and you might not have all the resources. But start with what you do have, and let's see what could happen next."