Celebrities Who Regret Going Under The Knife

The following article includes descriptions of mental health issues and eating disorders.

Every year, millions of people get cosmetic surgery, lip fillers, Botox, and other body modifications. Some say they do it to maintain a youthful look, while others have said they feel it's necessary to remain relevant in public-facing fields. This is a common concern of celebrities, who often find it difficult to stay in the limelight as they age. It's unfortunate, but it's not uncommon, and many celebrities who go under the knife regret doing so.

Regret can come immediately after a procedure, or it can build up over time. Many celebrities who have undergone surgery to change their physique are happy with the results ... initially. Years later, they may think that their appearance doesn't look natural enough, or other issues compel them to have their procedures undone. This happens more often than people realize, and celebrities aren't immune.

After all, celebrities are people just like everyone else, and they have the same insecurities about their self-image as the rest of us. That said, the fact that celebrities are often the focus of media attention that points out their physical changes can potentially impact their positive self-image. These celebrities went under the knife but ultimately regretted doing so for various reasons.

Pop superstar Jessica Simpson's memoir, "Open Book," revealed much about her struggles with body image. Simpson was ashamed of the way she looked and refused to fully disrobe in the presence of her husband, even going so far as to shower with a T-shirt on. Simpson's body issues arose following her two pregnancies, after which she lost a lot of weight, leaving stretch marks.

Simpson opted for a partial tummy tuck to remove the excess skin. The procedure went well, but Simpson didn't like the results, so she decided to get a second tummy tuck, which did not go well. Simpson developed colitis, resulting in vomiting that threatened to tear her sutures. The result was a nine-day stay at the hospital and a lot of regret. Fortunately, Simpson recovered — but still had another concern over her self-image: her lips.

Like many people, Simpson wanted fuller lips, so she did something about it. Simpson told Glamour that she experimented with Restylane, an alternative filler to collagen. "I had that Restylane stuff. It looked fake to me. I didn't like that. But ... it went away in, like, four months. My lips are back to what they were. Thank God!"

Tori Spelling had her breasts augmented in her 20s and regretted the procedure after becoming a mother. In an interview with ABC, Spelling revealed that had she known then the impact the implants would have on her milk production, she wouldn't have gotten them. "I love being a mom. I'm on my third baby. That's my role. These don't matter." Despite her regret, Spelling kept the implants well into her 40s.

In 2021, Spelling revealed that she was finally doing something about her implants, which had expired and were recalled. Ultimately, she decided to replace them. In an interview with Jeff Lewis on SiriusXM's "Jeff Lewis Live," Spelling revealed that she would replace her recalled implants with new ones that would be "a little bit bigger."

Spelling could have decided to replace her implants instead of removing them entirely so she could maintain a similar figure. It's often necessary to replace implants after 15 years or more, so it's common for people to undergo replacements and enhancements periodically. Her concern over milk development could also be moot if she decides against having more children.

Heidi Montag's history with plastic surgery is long and filled with scars. In 2010, she revealed that she'd undergone 10 procedures in one day. At the time, Montag told People, "I think I look way better, and I'm way happier ... Nobody ages perfectly, so I plan to keep using surgery to make me as perfect as I can be." But her attitude about her procedures has since shifted. 

Montag's love of her procedures changed, as she revealed in an interview with Cosmopolitan. "I was way too young to make such a life-changing decision." Montag added that when she was 23, she "was under so much pressure because it was the beginning of comment sections and negativity and hate on the Internet. I was also on TV where every perceived flaw is amplified."

In an interview with Paper, Montag explained that she nearly died and required 24-hour care after one procedure. In other interviews and engagements with fans, Montag has expressed regret over the plethora of procedures she underwent early in life. She points to scars and dark marks all over her body, noting that her scars are a constant reminder of the mistakes she made.

In 2017, Victoria Beckham penned a letter to her 18-year-old self covering everything from handling the spotlight to body positivity and marriage. In the letter, published by British Vogue, Beckham addresses her breast augmentation, which she got when she was 25. "And 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."

Her letter included some additional advice: "Learn to embrace your imperfections – that is what I want to tell you." Beckham's letter was addressed to herself, but her advice applies to anyone undergoing the same issues of body positivity she experienced as a young woman. 

For years, Beckham routinely denied having her breasts augmented despite the apparent change in her cup size. She finally admitted to it a few years before penning her letter, telling Allure she no longer had breast implants, though she didn't elaborate. Beckham's confession about her regretted breast augmentation came with little detail. That said, Beckham discussed looking at pictures of herself from years past and cringing at how large her breasts were.

Gisele Bündchen built up a career based on her curvy frame — in fact, so much public attention centered around her breasts, she was once known as "The boobs from Brazil." But Bündchen's breasts changed after she had children. Like many moms, Bündchen breastfed her children, but doing so altered the shape of her breasts, shrinking them and making them uneven, she told People. Decades later, Bündchen underwent surgery to reshape them.

Bündchen immediately regretted her procedure, revealing in her memoir, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life," how it impacted her self-image. "When I woke up, I was like, 'What have I done?' I felt like I was living in a body I didn't recognize. For the first year, I wore [baggy] clothes because I felt uncomfortable" (via People). Bündchen tried to hide the fact that she underwent the procedure, which her fellow Brazillians didn't appreciate.

She faced ridicule in her home country, worsening Bündchen's self-image. Bündchen's natural breasts changed Brazillian concepts of beauty, and news of her efforts to hide her breast augmentation led to what the New York Post called "Inflategate." Despite this, Bündchen overcame her insecurities and opened up about her mental health, revealing that her then-husband, Tom Brady, helped her through it all.

In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Bella Hadid opened up about getting a nose job when she was 14. "I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors. I think I would have grown into it." Hadid is an American of Dutch and Palestinian ancestry and looks a lot like her mother, former model Yolanda Hadid, though their noses no longer look similar.

Hadid elaborated, saying, "People think I fully f**** with my face because of one picture of me as a teenager looking puffy. I'm pretty sure you don't look the same now as you did at 13, right?" Hadid regrets getting her nose job at 14 and admits to having imposter syndrome, saying about her career, "People made me feel like I didn't deserve any of this."

In 2021, Hadid burned out and became depressed and nearly suicidal, requiring two and a half weeks of in-patient treatment. Much of her mental health revolves around her self-image and how she's perceived. She summed it up succinctly in her Vogue interview: "Everything that I do in my personal life is literally to make sure that my mental state stays above water. Fashion can make you or break you."

Country music royal Kenny Rogers is best known for a series of hits and his duets with longtime friend Dolly Parton. Throughout his career, Rogers maintained the same look via his signature beard and sunglasses but opted for a change in the 1990s. Rogers underwent several cosmetic surgery procedures, and he immediately regretted the decision.

In 2012, Rogers told "CBS This Morning" that he decided to have surgery out of boredom, to change his image, and because he wanted to remain relevant, explaining, "I regret that, but the truth is, I don't know what I would have looked like if I hadn't done it." Rogers' issues with his surgery stemmed from his brow lift, which resulted in an unnatural angle and height. This and another eye procedure made Rogers look very different.

Rogers used to joke about his plastic surgery fiasco with Parton, which she discussed during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show." "He thought that was the funniest thing, but he did, you know, as he got older ... his skin started to loosen, and he looked more natural" (Via Fox News). Rogers died of bladder cancer in 2020 at the age of 81.

Ayesha Curry has three children with her husband, Stephen Curry, and found her way onto an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to talk about motherhood. The annual Mother's Day episode had Curry on via a home video link, and she answered questions about the best parenting advice she could give.

Curry offered several helpful tips, ending on her most profound: sleep when the baby sleeps, though she admitted it took her three kids to find that out. After the Q&A, Ellen challenged Curry to find one thing in her home that she never wants to see again. Curry ran and got her implants, which she jubilantly held up for everyone to see, explaining why she was happy never to see them again.

"These are my old implants, and I've been waiting for the perfect moment to have like a going-away party for them because they weren't good to me, they didn't work for me, they work for some people, but they've got to go. And I don't ever want to see them again." DeGeneres responded with, "Good for you! Bye-bye, implants! Well, we had a party for them on your Mother's Day show."

Reid Ewing has body dysmorphic disorder, which causes him to obsess over his appearance. In 2015, Ewing wrote an essay for HuffPost, revealing his experiences with plastic surgery. Ewing explained how he underwent his first procedure, a cheek implant. Afterward, he hid from the public, moving into a hotel to avoid media attention.

Ewing's negative experience with his first procedure fed his dysmorphia, and he sought additional procedures to correct the first. He got a chin implant to better fill out his face, but it didn't work. "For the next couple of years, I would get several more procedures with two other doctors. Each procedure would cause a new problem that I would have to fix with another procedure."

In 2012, Ewing swore off cosmetic procedures, and it took six months before he was comfortable being seen. His letter details how his history of eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder could have kept him from going down the rabbit hole, but none of his doctors had mental health screenings. "I wish I could go back and undo all the surgeries. Now I can see that I was fine to begin with and didn't need the surgeries after all."

Sharon Osbourne has been an outspoken proponent of plastic surgery for decades, but she changed her mind after a botched facelift in 2021. Osbourne spoke with The Sunday Times in 2022, explaining why she decided to swear off plastic surgery. Osbourne told The Times, "I'm telling you, it was horrendous. I'm like, 'You've got to be f***** joking,' one eye was different. I looked like a f****** Cyclops. I'm like, 'All I need is a hunchback."

Osbourne's fifth facelift left her feeling like a mummy. She was in incredible pain following the procedure and thought she looked odd. She explained how she pushed the envelope with her last facelift, and her husband, Ozzy Osbourne, who's also gone under the knife, was put off by her appearance, telling her, "I don't care how much it costs, we'll get it redone."

Osbourne told The Times that "natural settling" seems to have repaired the damage from the previous operation, as her eyes appear normal, and she's once more pleased with her appearance. Still, it's unlikely Osbourne will go under the knife again, telling The Sun, "That one put me off, and it frightens me. Time is against me; I cannot have another facelift."

Tara Reid had a meteoric rise in Hollywood following her appearances in "The Big Lebowski," "American Pie," and "Van Wilder." She was on her way to becoming the next Hollywood It girl, but the decision to get plastic surgery in 2004 changed that. Reid underwent liposuction and breast augmentation, and the results were less than ideal.

Reid told Us Weekly, "My stomach became the most ripply, bulgy thing. I had a hernia, this huge bump next to my belly button. As a result, I couldn't wear a bikini. I lost a lot of work." On top of that, a wardrobe malfunction revealed her deformed nipple and upended her self-confidence. Reid regretted her decision to get plastic surgery but managed to correct it with additional procedures.

Reid told People in 2008, "I'm scared about getting surgery ever again. It's like surviving a plane crash and getting on a plane again. [My stomach scars] are my battle wounds; boom, that's it. Would I be naked in front of a random person? No. Would I do the cover of Playboy? No. But my boyfriend thinks I'm sexy, and that's all I care about." Two years later, Reid posed topless for Playboy.

Linda Evangelista was one of the 1990s most fabulous supermodels, and throughout the decade, she appeared on magazine covers and anywhere high fashion demanded. Evangelista was everywhere, but she disappeared after undergoing a procedure called CoolSculpting, which severely disfigured her body. The procedure freezes and kills fat cells without having to cut into the body for liposuction, making it favorable for being noninvasive.

Unfortunately, less than one percent of people who receive the procedure can develop paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), and Evangelista drew the short straw. PAH enlarges tissue masses, resulting in the opposite of the intended effect. She told People, "I tried to fix it myself, thinking I was doing something wrong ... I got to where I wasn't eating at all. I thought I was losing my mind." After receiving the procedure, Evangelista disappeared from public life, ending her modeling career far too soon.

Evangelista addressed her absence in a 2021 Instagram post, explaining that she was "brutally disfigured by Zeltiq's CoolSculpting procedure." The supermodel sued Zeltiq Aesthetics for $50 million, citing negligence in failing to inform her of the risk of PAH before the procedure. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in 2022.

Jennifer Grey was one of the biggest stars of 1980s cinema, having appeared in everything from "Red Dawn" to "Dirty Dancing." She was popular and successful, but it all came crashing down after she went under the knife in 1989. Grey had a relatively large nose, which came up in the tabloids and made her insecure about her appearance. Grey believed her nose limited her roles, so she had it reshaped and made smaller.

In her memoir, "Out of the Corner," Grey expressed how other people's problems with her nose pushed her to get two rhinoplasty procedures. She also detailed how she was against nose jobs for most of her life and only capitulated after public perception had apparently dried up her opportunities. As a result, her career took a significant hit, which she's never been able to overcome.

At least, that's how Grey feels about it. The actor opened up about her diminished nose and career in an interview with The Mirror. She explained, "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 recognizes because of a nose job."

Mickey Rourke was a Hollywood superstar throughout the 1980s, but after several critical failures, he left the limelight to launch a boxing career, which resulted in facial injuries and physical changes. Rourke's face required several procedures to return his Hollywood heartthrob looks, but it didn't go well.

Rourke told the Daily Mail about his plastic surgery, saying, "Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together. I had my nose broken twice. I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone. I had to have cartilage taken from my ear to rebuild my nose and a couple of operations to scrape out the cartilage because the scar tissue wasn't healing."

That's a lot of work, and it made Rourke unrecognizable. Movies featuring the actor before and after his boxing career show an entirely different person. Rourke found a better doctor and had much of his earlier work reversed. What couldn't be fully repaired was minimized, and in 2017, Rourke had another nose job, finally expressing on Instagram, "Now I am 'pretty again.'"

If you or anyone you know needs help with mental health, suicidal ideations, or an eating disorder, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 or the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

• If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

• The National Eating Disorders Association website or NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237, or 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).