Hollywood Makeup Artist Charlie Hounslow Diagnosed with Deadly Brain Tumour After Sudden Headache

A celebrated makeup artist to the stars has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain tumour, just 48 hours after she first felt a minor headache.

Charlie Hounslow, 41, known for working with Hollywood A-listers like Paul Mescal and Glen Powell, felt completely fine until she experienced what seemed like a normal migraine. But within a day, she was violently vomiting and rushed to Watford A&E, where doctors found bleeding in her brain caused by a tumour.

“I thought it was just a migraine. I took painkillers and went to sleep,” Charlie said. “The next morning, I woke up at 5am and started throwing up. That’s when my friends took me to hospital.”

Diagnosis: Terminal Brain Cancer

Emergency scans revealed that Charlie had a grade four glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal type of brain cancer. Three-quarters of patients with this diagnosis don’t survive beyond one year, and only 5% live past five years.

“I thought they could just take it out. I didn’t understand how bad it was at first,” she shared.

Hollywood Friends Rally Behind Her

Charlie’s high-profile friends, including actor Glen Powell, have expressed their support. Powell, who worked with Charlie on The Running Man, called her: “A loyal and generous friend with an infectious laugh… Every contribution, big or small, helps get her the care she needs.”

Fighting for Life with Experimental Therapy

Rather than undergoing standard NHS treatment—which includes chemotherapy and radiotherapy—Charlie is seeking dendritic cell therapy in Germany, an experimental immunotherapy not currently offered on the NHS.

This treatment is designed to “train” the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. While trials are ongoing in the UK, access is limited, and Charlie is aiming to raise $300,000 (£224,000) through an online fundraiser.

Awake During Brain Surgery

Earlier this month, Charlie underwent a rare awake craniotomy, a brain operation where patients remain conscious to help surgeons avoid critical areas of the brain. During the procedure, she was asked to guess song names to track her brain function in real time.

Health Update: Minor Seizure, But Recovering

According to her brother, Nick, Charlie was recently discharged from hospital but suffered a mild seizure while staying nearby. She is now on anti-seizure medication and resting.

“No harm is done but she is exhausted and needs sleep,” he wrote on her fundraiser page.

As of today, the fundraiser has reached over $228,000 (£170,000).

A Deadly Disease Still Without a Cure

Glioblastoma affects approximately 3,000 people in the UK and 12,000 in the US each year. The disease is the same that took the lives of Labour politician Dame Tessa Jowell in 2018 and The Wanted singer Tom Parker in 2022.

Despite its severity, treatment options have barely advanced since the early 2000s. Symptoms often include headaches, seizures, nausea, and vision problems—caused by pressure inside the skull from the growing tumour.