WHEN Deborah Alessi was battered by her boyfriend, she decided she had to leave him – and Scotland.
He was the Glaswegian lass’s first love, but that didn’t stop him hitting her with a guitar, pulling her hair and kicking her down the stairs.
She said: “He got jealous one night. It’s embarrassing to admit it, but it happened.
“And to get away from him was one of the reasons I left Scotland. This was not going to be my life.”
Fast forward two decades and Deborah now enjoys a luxurious lifestyle at her Beverly Hills home with her husband, plastic surgeon David Alessi. But Deborah hasn’t forgotten her past and devotes much of her free time to helping other victims of violence as the CEO of Face Forward, a charity which gives women disfigured by domestic or gang abuse free corrective surgery.
So far, Face Forward has performed surgery on dozens of women who, without the organisation, would have faced a lifetime of being scarred.
For Deborah, feeling beautiful is something she believes every woman is entitled to.
She said: “I started at the age of four, with my make-up and brushes and combing out the hair of my aunt and anyone who would sit still for me.
“I noticed that when women feel beautiful, we feel confident and happy. But when we feel ugly, we can feel so sad.”
Deborah told the British Weekly: ”When I met my husband I realized that we had the talent to start a non profit….I love marketing and he is a great plastic surgeon. Our first year we helped two patients, this year we have donated over $300,000 in pro bono surgery.”
She added that the most satisfying part of her involvement with Face Forward was “watching how our patients’ confidence grows, and be able to really smile again every time they look in the mirror.”
Face Forward’s annual fundraising gala this year boasts a ‘Venetian Masquerade’ theme is set for Saturday, September 13th at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Billed as’ an evening of music, dreams and passion’, the event features a red carpet entrance and silent auction from 6pm, and entertainment from Grammy-winning British singer Estelle.
“It feels good to know that supporting our cause by donating or buying a ticket, you are making a difference in someone’s life,” said Deborah.
For more details about the charity or to book your ticket, visit. www.faceforwardla.org
