I started surgery at 17 after years of bullying but it doesn’t make me love myself, says Megan Barton-Hanson
IT is a lesson for anyone thinking of trying invasive cosmetic treatments.
Britt Ekland was one of the most celebrated beauties of the 1970s – but the former Bond girl reckons she “ruined” her face by having lip fillers, describing it as “the biggest mistake” of her life.
The actress, Mary Goodnight in The Man With The Golden Gun in 1974, underwent many procedures more than 20 years ago.
It was a horrific lip-pumping procedure in Paris that put Britt off nips and tucks for good.
Now 78, she told Platinum magazine: “When I look at photo- graphs of myself before I had it done, I looked very good.
“I can see that now, but I couldn’t see it at the time.”
Britt is not the only celeb to find plastic is not so fantastic.
Love Island’s Megan Barton-Hanson reveals the deep-rooted insecurities that led her to start having surgery at 17, while Hayley Minn looks at other famous faces who had cosmetic treatments and regretted it.
‘Quick fix no cure for insecurities’
When she was a teen, Love Island star Megan Barton-Hanson experienced bullying that led to her going under the knife for the first time. She has had some procedures reversed.
Megan, 27, says: “I first went under the knife at the age of 17, when I had surgery to get my ears pinned back.
“I was super-skinny back then too, and my ears stuck out very prominently, so I was a target for bullying.
“It wasn’t just from the kids at school, I even heard an adult from my area say: “She’s got the Barton-Hanson ears, hasn’t she?”
“I’m quite sensitive, so after a few digs here and there my insecurities really started to grow. To an awkward and shy teenager, it really hurt.
“I honestly thought that when I had my ears pinned I would change as a person and have the confidence I’ve admired in so many strong women. But that was so far from the truth.
“Instead, my insecurities led to me having even more work done. Two years after the ear op I started having filler in my lips, and I went on to have rhinoplasty and a boob job, as well as many other procedures.
“I don’t know how much I’ve spent over the years, but it’s a lot.
“I’ve always had several consultations before booking anything and I’ve always waited and thought about it hard. You could compare it to buying a car – it is a big and expensive decision, and certainly not a quick fix.
“The surgery helped me diminish the obsessive nature of my insecurities, but while it made me feel happier when looking in the mirror, that’s just surface level.
“It didn’t help me to love myself, that came from growing up and having a strong circle of empowered women around me.
“The confidence I have now is a result of therapy, learning how to speak kindly to myself and seeing women of all ages, shapes and sizes love themselves.
“At the end of last year, after realising the outside of the shell is just the tip of the iceberg, I even opted to have the clips in my ears removed. I’ve just had my lips dissolved too. Deciding to leave my ears sticking out feels like a middle finger to all the mean kids at school.
“Plus, I always fancied Legolas from Lord Of The Rings – and now we have matching ears!
“My best advice for anyone wanting to go under the knife is do what makes you feel good.
“If you are tired of obsessing over one particular area, and it’s taking too much time away from doing everyday tasks, it might improve your life if you correct it.
“But if you think it will be a quick fix for low self-esteem or deep-rooted confidence issues, it won’t.
“Surgery is not something that can make you love yourself. You can’t please everyone, so it must be done for you and you only.”
Victoria Beckham
Former Spice Girl Victoria is believed to have had her first boob job in 1999, followed by another in 2006, before getting them reduced in 2009.
But Posh regrets getting them done in the first place.
Vic, 47, wrote a letter to her younger self for Vogue in 2016, advising: “Learn to embrace your imperfections.
“I should probably say, don’t mess with your boobs. All those years I denied it – stupid.
“A sign of insecurity. Just celebrate what you’ve got.”
Sharon Osbourne
From tummy tucks to boob jobs and lipo, Sharon has had her fair share of work done.
Then, in 2012, she decided to stop having plastic surgery.
Sharon, 68, said: “I have been looking at pictures of myself since I started to lose weight, and in a lot of shots my face looks plastic at certain angles.
“I was like, ‘Oh, dear. Oh, I should never have done that. Oh, that’s a bad one’. So I’m like, ‘No more. No more abuse’.”
But in 2019, the former X Factor judge had a change of heart – and had her fourth facelift.
Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden
Britain’s Got Talent judges Simon and Amanda are known for their love of Botox – and often joke about it.
But Simon, 61, admits he and pal Amanda, 50, look back on old shows of the TV talent contest and realise there were occasions where it was clear the injections went too far.
He said: “I love watching ‘the Botox years’.
“All of us are like, ‘Christ, we had a lot that year. Not so much that year . . . maybe a bit too much that year’.
“I look all right now, but certain years it was like, ‘Wow’. I don’t know what was going on.”
Courteney Cox
Friends actress Courteney has been open about the work she has had done since the hit US sitcom ended in 2004 – and confesses she became addicted.
She was persuaded by doctors who encouraged her to get “a little injection here or filler there”.
The Scream star has since had all her filler dissolved and stopped having injections after having regrets about her procedures.
Courteney, 56, said: “I’m as natural as I can be. I feel better because I look like myself.
“I think that I now look more like the person I was.”
Gwyneth Paltrow
A healthy diet and exercise regime – as well as putting egg-shaped stones in her vagina – are what actress Gwyneth credits with giving her youthful looks and energy.
She has also had a little help from Botox, although she has vowed to avoid it in future.
The 48-year-old Oscar winner said: “I won’t do Botox again, because I looked crazy.
“I looked like Joan Rivers!”
Khloe Kardashian
The Kardashian clan are all quite private about the amount of surgery they are alleged to have had.
Khloe denied she had facial fillers when her sisters confronted her on the family’s hit reality show in 2016 – but fessed up a few months later.
And she admitted being far from happy with the results.
Khloe, 36, said: “It did not work for me. I looked crazy. I went to have it all dissolved three times.
“It was a bummer and now I’m afraid to do it again.
“And I’m almost like, ‘I swear things are still in my face’.”
Jennifer Grey
She shot to fame in 1987 as Baby in Dirty Dancing starring opposite Patrick Swayze – and after the film came out, Jennifer decided to have surgery.
She had rhinoplasty to straighten her nose but now wishes she had never done it because her face is less recognisable than it was before the surgery.
Jennifer, 61, said: “I went into the operating room a celebrity and came out anonymous.
“It was the nose job from hell. I’ll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognises because of a nose job.”
Molly-Mae Hague
Love Island star Molly-Mae, 22, has been having fillers injected since she was 17.
But the girlfriend of Tommy Fury has been dissolving them for a while now.
“I don’t like to even look at these pics,” she said, sharing photos of herself with filler in her face.
Her mum had advised against it and Molly-Mae said: “I wish I had listened. I went overboard and didn’t realise what I was doing.
“I realised I needed to do something. Best decision I ever made to dissolve it. Makes me sick that I did that to myself.”
Expert Advice
Founder of Harley Street Injectables, Alice Henshaw advises: “Worryingly, in the UK you do not have to be a medical professional to inject dermal filler so make sure you see a nurse prescriber, a doctor or a dentist.
“Fillers can cause complications such as an occlusion which may cause permanent tissue damage, scarring and blindness.
“Only medical professionals have prescribing rights and access to the product to reverse these complications, so that would be my number one tip. Also, read google reviews and do your research; make sure you feel comfortable with the person behind the needle.”