Why does Gabrielle cover one eye and what are the effects of ptosis?

Gabrielle stormed back onto our screens on The Masked Singer earlier this month, and she’s all anyone has been talking about since. 

The 50-year-old singer is best known for her debut single Dreams which topped the UK singles chart in 1993. And for going on to release hit after hit - including Out Of Reach and Every Step.

28 years later and the star is still singing, most recently appearing as Harlequin on the current series of The Masked Singer - where the audience tries to guess which celebrity is behind each mask. 

So with Gabrielle out of the Masked Singer and sadly not making it to the grand final - in which this celebrity is expected to return - one question remains: Why does Gabrielle cover her eye? 

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Why does Gabrielle cover one eye?

It hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans that Hackney-born Gabrielle covers one of her eyes when she sings. And that’s because of a medical condition called ptosis, which can cause the eyelid to partially close, droop or fall. 

Back in the '90s Gabrielle sported an eye patch, but more recently she fashions a hairstyle that allows for the affected eye to be covered.  

Despite rocking her signature-look with confidence now, Gabrielle hasn’t always found it easy and suffered badly at the hands of bullies when she was at school.

The mum-of-two previously told Lorraine Kelly, “Growing up it was all I ever knew, but people would take the mickey. So growing up you find ways to steel yourself. And then to be thrust into an industry, where no one looked like you - how was I going to do that? The eye patch was my saviour.”

What is ptosis?

Ptosis is a condition in which the upper eyelid droops over the eye. It can droop just a little or so much that it covers the pupil. 

While ptosis can severely impact the vision - in some cases blocking normal vision, it is thought Gabrielle’s eye has not been affected in this way. 

Can ptosis be cured?

There is a surgery that can be done to remedy the effects of ptosis and it involves a surgeon making a small adjustment to the lid’s lifting muscle. In more severe cases, the levitator muscle may need to be strengthened and re-attached to the eyelid. 

There is also a prescription of eye drops, according to aao.org, that aim to help the eyelid open wider.

The medication, oxymetazoline, needs to be used every day and you should seek medical advice from your opthamologist before trying it. 

How old is Gabrielle?

Gabrielle - or Louisa Gabrielle Bobb - as she was born is 50 years old. She will celebrate her 51st birthday on April 16.

She was 23 when she burst onto the music scene in 1993. 

Gabrielle is now a mother to two children -  a son, Jordan, born in 1995 and a daughter, Patricia, born in 2003. 

Did Gabrielle take a break from music?

Yes. She took a decade-long hiatus from music to raise her children and “do the school run," as she told Lorraine Kelly. 

She returned in 2018 with a new album, Under My Skin, as she wanted to give her loyal fans some new music. 

We are so glad she's back!