An international celebrity hair stylist who hails from St Albans hopes to snip the big time after launching an online show highlighting his skills with the locks of famous footballers.

Daniel Johnson has ditched his salon in Watford to return to his freelance roots, travelling in – and out of – the country to trim the hair of a lengthy list of players including Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, Manchester United midfielder Ashley Young and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale.

Affectionately known as “hair guru” to some of Britain’s wealthiest celebrities, Daniel has come a long way since he got expelled from several schools in St Albans, leaving with no qualifications.

His first salon was established when he invested his then meagre savings in a former shoe shop in Watford, at the age of 18. From there he went on to work behind the scenes at The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and GMTV.

Now, though, he is concentrating on styling footballers at Manchester United, Leicester City, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, among others.

He is also starring in a new series, #Style, on multi-channel network Makers, and has appeared on Fox TV and Manchester United TV.

Makers Channel works in collaboration with Fox, broadcasting a weekly live programme on TV, displaying digital shows from the online platform.

Daniel told the Herts Advertiser: “It’s been an amazing time. I’ve launched my show, and my first series featured Danny Simpson [Leicester City defender].

“I have to attend to the hair of my clients, so that means a lot of travelling around the world, looking after footballers.

“It all started with social media. People were saying ‘you always look slick, show us how you do it’, so I’m giving them an insight, and at the same time building my brand. I’m trying to build my brand, just like David Beckham.

“I’m responsible for some of the biggest players as far as their image goes.”

Daniel said that when footballers walked out onto the pitch, many wanted to look their best for the big games.

He explained: “I’m behind the scenes, cutting their hair, which is a major confidence boost. I’m styling them, to help them get that ‘feel good factor’ – I might be trimming beards or changing their hair styles. It’s all about the image – some of these guys have really big egos!

“On #Style, I show how to do a footballer’s haircut, how to look like Jamie Vardy, Gareth Bale or Jermain Defoe, and each week I will show a different player.”

Daniel considers such players as “part of my family, and I treat them like family.”

Find Daniel’s style tips here or see his website.