This is the extraordinary transformation of a dishevelled homeless man into a clean-cut citizen with film-star looks after a stylist felt sorry for him and provided a free makeover.
Hair stylist Leandro Matias said he saw Bruno Henrique Cassimiro Ramos, 33, living rough on the streets of Votorantim in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo and decided to help him.
Leandro said: “I was passing a bank in the city and saw a young man at the traffic lights.
“Then I thought about how I could help him. I called the man and gave him my salon card, I told him to ask for me and I would change his look.”
The stylist said he did not hear from the homeless man for a week and came across him again at the traffic lights.
Leandro went to where Bruno was staying in an abandoned house and again offered him the free makeover.
He explained: “On Thursday (24th March) morning, I went there and took him to the salon.
“I gave him a towel and soap and said ‘go there and take the bath of your life’. He then put on my robe and had lunch. Afterwards, I highlighted his hair, cut it, exfoliated his face, and also did his eyebrows. At the time, he was in shock, he couldn’t believe it was him!”
Now Bruno could be on the verge of a new luxury life as a model.
The stylist took photos of his transformation and shared them on social media where they were widely circulated, wowing many netizens in the process and reportedly leading to job offers for the homeless man.
According to local reports, a dentist also got in touch with Leandro to offer his services and Bruno will have his teeth fixed in the coming days.
Additionally, the homeless man has been receiving clothes and donations from kindhearted residents who contact Leandro to help.
Bruno said he was born in the state of Minas Gerais and was abandoned by his mother at the age of five.
He lived with his sister and later stayed with his father for a while before living in an orphanage. Today, his father and sister live in Italy.
The homeless man told local media: “I’m 33 years old and I’ve been to rehabilitation clinics twice in Aracatuba (Sao Paulo). There I started working as a lighting technician, something I learned from my brother. In 2019, I went to work in Ilha Comprida.”
He said he arrived in the city of Sorocaba before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up on the streets where he started taking drugs again.
He said he did not get much help during the pandemic and his situation worsened.
After Leandro’s incredible makeover, Bruno said: “I feel like a different person! I am so happy. It reminds me of how I used to look.”
He added: “I don’t want to be that man anymore, I want to change.”
According to reports, Leandro is currently talking with Bruno’s sister and father about possibly living with them in Italy.
With job offers and a new wardrobe, things are looking up for the handsome homeless hunk.
