This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

KUTV anchorwoman Mary Nickles unveiled a new look on Monday morning. And while I'm loathe to comment on the appearance of local TV news people, this is something worth talking about.

Nickles, who told viewers in January that she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, did not wear a wig on Channel 2's morning news on Monday — another milepost on her road to recovery.

In addition to a lumpectomy, she underwent chemo and then radiation, which ended in early July. And the treatments caused her to lose her hair.

On Monday, viewers got a look at her very short, blonde hair, which is growing back in.

"I haven't been wearing it any time except on the air for the last three weeks," Nickles said. "In fact, I leave the wig on my desk. It kind of creeps people out."

Last week, she had her hair trimmed and colored. "I'm hoping it looks like a super-short haircut and not hair growing back after chemo," Nickles said.

Over the past seven months, Nickles and KUTV have done a number of reports on cancer - urging people to get screenngs; explaining the treatment process; and more. And despite the surgery and dozens of chemo and radiation treatments, Nickles missed only four days of work.

"I was faking it," she said. "I kept telling myself I felt better than the day before, so I could go to work. Looking back on it, I wasn't feeling good. I just didn't want anyone to know. And it was better for me to come to work and be surrounded by friends."

And now, she says without hesitation, "I really feel good."

KUTV news director Jennifer Dahl used words like "amazing" and "inspirational" to describe Nickles. And she's absolutely right.