A Jeopardy contestant has received an overwhelming flood of support after removing her wig and revealing that she is in recovery from cancer.
Christine Whelchel, a church organist and piano teacher from Spring Hill, Tennessee, appeared on the hit gameshow last week sporting a shoulder-length hairstyle.
However, on Monday's show, she proudly showed off a significantly shorter hairstyle - something that host Ken Jennings was quick to start a conversation over the difference in appearance.
"If you watched last week you might notice that Christine looks a little different today," Jennings said, before directing Whelchel to explain to the viewers the story behind her new look.
"After winning, I decided I didn’t need to hide behind the wig anymore," she explained, adding, "and I want to normalize what going through cancer recovery really looks like."
Following the show, the official Jeopardy! Twitter account shared a clip of Whelchel's appearance on the show, writing alongside the video: "A strong Jeopardy! player and an even stronger person."
Following the post, a number of viewers took to social media to praise Whelchel's courage and share their own stories.
Sharing their own selfie, one person tweeted: "Yeah, go grrrl! I was diagnosed in May 2021 and who has time for wigs! We look fab! Spend that money on something amazing!"
A second Twitter user added: "Rockin’ that post-chemo look, Christine. Here’s me, 6 years ago, and happily now 6 years NED. Congrats, and best of luck on #Jeopardy and to being a long-term survivor."
And a third wrote: "Go go go, Christine! This was me with my husband, 3 months after my last chemo session!"
And the praise and support just kept coming:
It's amazing to see the difference representation in the media can make to people. As one Twitter user wrote: "Thank you for sharing this. As one who is in the same boat (albeit without a wig) I love to see someone rocking the cancer stubble."
Whelchel had been receiving treatment for breast cancer, and has stated that she is "cancer-free as of right now".
As of this writing, Whelchel's winnings currently stand at over $73,000!
We wish her all the best with her continued recovery.
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