MANILA — Screen veteran Cherie Gil surprised her followers Friday with her head completely shaven, which she revealed marks her “rebirth” as she readies to start anew in New York.

Gil, 58, opened up about her plan to move abroad after five decades in showbiz, in the anniversary issue of lifestyle magazine Mega.

Gil is seen for the first time with a shaved head on one of the covers of the special issue, where she discussed her well-being and what pushed her to turn a new leaf.

“I just had to make sure that first and foremost, my mental, emotional, spiritual states were getting the priority. I was getting tired of myself. And I was just so angry and unhappy, so I sold everything and packed up,” she said.

Aside from moving to New York, where her children are based, starting over for Gil has meant a physical transformation, from shaving off her hair completely to overhauling her wardrobe.

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“I got rid of all the clothes I had that symbolized a past life… I’m completely finding myself and coming to terms with who I really am. It’s just great to have this opportunity and to be alive to start over. It’s like a rebirth of sorts,” she said.

“I won’t deny that I have gone to therapy and counseling. Years and years of doing that, I learned that it just boils down to doing the hard work on and with yourself by whatever means. What’s hair di ba? It grows back. It’s symbolic to my personal growth. When a woman is in distress, she cuts her hair.”

As she opens a new chapter, Gil said she regards the “unknown” not with fear but as a call to a new “realm of possibilities.”

The practical side of her “rebirth” does not elude Gil, who admitted that her career, which has been her bread and butter for decades, will take a backseat for now.

“May mga nagsasabi kasi marami akong pera but in fact, they don’t know anything. I’m just a human being. We go through the same ropes of the downs, the highs and the lows. I am not going to be surprised if I die a pauper, but I have lived a life,” she said.