Sam Smith has spoken candidly about the difficult experience of undergoing liposuction as a teenager, describing it as a “nightmare.”
Appearing on the Podcrushed podcast on Wednesday, the Stay with Me singer — who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns — shared with host Penn Badgley that they had cosmetic surgery at just 13 years old to remove unwanted body fat.
“I had surgery on my chest when I was 13 years old, because I had a growing chest,” they recalled. “There were all sorts of reasons why, but mainly, I was just getting so teased, I couldn’t go swimming in school, and I couldn’t – like, getting changed in the locker room was hell. So, I got liposuction when I was 13 years old.”
Becoming emotional, Sam Smith reflected on their long struggle with body image and eating habits, noting that their parents were “hugely supportive” of the decision to have surgery.
While the operation achieved its physical goal, Sam Smith admitted that the experience was far from smooth.
“(It was) just all a struggle with food and stuff. And the liposuction, it worked, but it was also a nightmare because they gave me a bandage,” the 33-year-old continued. “If I wore the bandage, it meant that I would get to the front of the lunch queue. So, I just kept this bandage on for nearly a year, and I’d be like, ‘Oh, don’t come close to me,’ and then I’d just get first at lunch… so the surgery never really worked because I love food.”
Despite the early challenges, Sam Smith has since embraced a more positive outlook on body image and identity.
Most recently, the Grammy-winning artist has been performing a residency at Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York, as part of their To Be Free concert series. The next show is set for November 19.
