Melissa McCarthy looks unrecognizable with blonde hair in 'real' transformation photo

Melissa McCarthy turned 54 at the end of August, and the photo her husband Ben Falcone chose to mark the occasion certainly got fans talking.

The comedian's other half took to Instagram on August 26 to post a headshot of the star rocking a volume-heavy blond 'do, complete with straight bangs and a lot of hairspray!

In the caption, he hilariously wrote: "Happy Birthday to my precious Mooch! What most people don't know is that this is her real hair. She spends a fortune in wig caps. Love you, hope you have the best day!"

Fans were quick to comment on the post, with one writing: "She needs to be on Grand Ole Opry ASAP!" making reference to her Dolly Parton-esque hairdo, while another wrote: "She looks amazing!" A third added: "This made my day."

Ben celebrated his birthday the day before his wife's, and the actress shared a fun video of him wishing himself a happy birthday while sitting in the living room at home, kitted out in a pair of 'Happy birthday' sunglasses and a headband decorated with candles.

© Instagram

Meanwhile, Melissa was treated to a personalized birthday cake on her special day, and shared a photo on Instagram Stories showing it off.

The show-stopping creation was by popular CA bakery Crumbles Patisserie, and had been adorned with pictures of the actress from over the years.

The couple would have marked their birthdays with their daughters, Vivian, 16, and Georgette, 14, who are largely kept out of the spotlight. However, she previously opened up about parenting teenagers, revealing just what they think of their famous mom, during an interview with People in 2023.

She revealed that her daughters have a nickname for her when she is being fun, called "Midway Mom."

© VALERIE MACON

"We were coming back from visiting my parents and we went through the Midway Airport in Chicago. And for some reason everything they asked for, I was like, 'Sure, get it. Two of them. You want a Coke?' And they were just like, 'What's going on?' 'Can we have Doritos?' 'Yep.' Anything they said. 'Can we get sweatshirts?' 'You sure can.' Like everything. I was like, 'You want a beer cozy?' And they were like, 'Midway Mom's awesome.'"

© Kevin Mazur

Melissa and Ben love having their teenagers at home and the actress admitted that she was finding it hard imagining either of them leaving to go to college in the not too distant future.

She told the publication when asked how she was feeling about the future prospect: "Nope, because it's never going to happen. One of my daughters was talking about maybe going to school in Scotland. And literally Ben's like 'Your lip's twitching.'

"And then she did walk past me the next day and she was like, 'Mama, no. You're looking up apartments in Scotland.' And I was like, 'I can get an apartment in Scotland. You can't legally stop me.'"