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Skye Wheatley tells NW about her boob job nightmare…

After years of feeling self-conscious about her “wonky boobs” former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley headed off to Thailand last January for her “Bangkok boob job”.

She was beyond excited to finally be getting the cleavage of her dreams, and her Instagram account has since presented her as a body confident 22-year-old woman who loves to pose in skimpy outfits.

However, Skye reveals to NW that, despite appearances, her breast implants have left her devastated.

“I wanted to get them done so they would be symmetrical and because my right boob was a whole cup size smaller than the left one. They look OK in a bikini, but they’re really terrible underneath because I’ve now got a double bubble in the right one and they’re still different sizes – they’ve just swapped around,” she tells us.

“I’m even more self-conscious than I was before I had the surgery.”

The Gold Coast native was expecting to get her asymmetrical 10B/C breasts transformed into matching D-cups, hence her disappointment.

“They told me they were confident they would be able to get the size right, but two days after the surgery, I saw them in the mirror and they looked so different to what I’d hoped for,” says Skye.

Now, one year after the surgery, as she prepares to have her implants removed, Skye’s decided to warn other women about the dangers of breast-implant procedures

and opting to have them done abroad…

You’ve always seemed so confident about your body – why did you decide to have a boob job in the first place?

My right boob was a B-cup and the left boob was a C-cup. They just looked weird. Men had brought it to my attention, but I just wanted to get them sorted for me mostly.

What happened when you got to Thailand?

I had the consultation and the consultant told me they would put a certain amount of filling in my left boob and a higher amount in the right to even them out.

How did you feel after the surgery?

I woke up in so much pain. I had no idea a breast procedure would be so painful. I felt like a massive truck had been dropped on my chest.

I was in hospital for two days after the surgery with the bandages on and it was all so traumatic. I couldn’t even get up to go to the toilet I was in so much pain.

How did your mum feel about you getting the operation?

Mum was so stressed out about it and begged me not to go to Thailand. I didn’t really do much research, I didn’t pay enough attention to the complications and what could go wrong. I should have got them done in Australia and I wish I had got a few different opinions first. If you’ve got naturally symmetrical boobs, it’s going to be easier, but mine were more complex.

What was it like getting the bandages off?

When I finally got to take the bandages off, I just gasped and said, “This lump!” I was told, “That’s fine, it will go away in a month. You just need to massage it.” The surgeon was confident that once a bit of time had passed, I’d worn my compression bra and done all the massages that the lump would be gone and everything would be perfect.

The surgeon told us you didn’t follow recommendations for post-operative care. Did you do everything they told you to do?

Yes, I did wear the bra, even though it was really ugly, and I did all the massage, but the bubble just didn’t go away.

To find out what happened next, and what Skye’s doing about it now, pick up this week’s issue of NW, on sale now.

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Study finds being overweight may not be as unhealthy as it was 40 years ago

“There is lots of evidence to show that people can live long and healthy lives in larger bodies”

A new study from Denmark has found that being overweight might not be the health disaster that we’ve been led to believe.

The study, which was published in JAMA, found that people who were “moderately” overweight had lower rates of early death than people who were in the “normal weight”, “underweight” and “obese” categories.

Researchers from Copenhagen University looked at the height, weight and death rates of thousands of people at three different time periods since the 1970s.

They found that during the mid-1970s, those with the lowest death rates were a “normal weight” and the “obese” faced a 30% higher risk of early death. But now the threat to people’s survival from being obese was now almost negligible.

The authors of the study say the most likely explanation is that health systems are now much better at treating obesity-linked conditions, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Lead investigator Prof Borge Nordestgaard said: “Our results should not be interpreted as suggesting that now people can eat as much as they like, or that so-called normal-weight individuals should eat more to become overweight.

“That said, maybe overweight people need not be quite as worried about their weight as before.”

Zoe Nicholson is a dietitian and owner of figureate consulting. She is also the co-founder of the moderation movement, who promote the principals of health at every size. She is not at all surprised by the JAMA study.

“There is lots of evidence to show that people can live long and healthy lives in larger bodies,” she says.

In fact, Zoe says that in some circumstances, having some extra body weight can actually be an advantage. For example, if an older person who has extra body weight has a fall, they are likely to recover faster than a person with no extra weight. “This is because the extra fat assists the body to heal as well as providing extra energy reserves at a time they’re needed,” she explains.

Although BMI is still wildly used, Zoe says that it’s not an accurate way to measure a person’s health.

“We’ve been high jacked with the idea that weight is a measurement of someone’s health – but what is much more important is a person’s physical fitness, mental health and social connectivity” she says.

And in terms of physical fitness, Zoe says that you don’t need to be participating in vigorous exercise to be in good health.

“Our bodies are meant to move – they don’t need to be running marathons they just have to move in all the ways you enjoy,” she explains.

Zoe believes that we have over simplified health to be about weight. Instead she says we should be focusing on changing health behaviors.

“If people are eating intuitively, being physically active and socially engaged then we know that those people can improve risk factor for disease. Research shows that blood sugar reduces, Cholesterol reduces, blood pressure reduces, and all of this happens independent of weight loss,” she explains.

On the flipside, Zoe says that when we focus on size then the issue becomes a vicious circle.

“When people are made to feel bad about their bodies they are less likely to look after them.”

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Forget lemonade, Beyonce drinks watermelon juice instead

She’s been drinking – watermelon.
Beyonce

Beyonce’s latest album might have been titled Lemonade, but it seems as if another fruit has stolen her attention.

Watermelon not only had a starring role in her hit song Drunk in Love, but now the juicy fruit also plays a shining part in her health regime.

The mother-of-one announced earlier this week that she has bought a large stake in WTRMLN WTR, a cold-pressed bottle of watermelon juice containing only three ingredients; watermelon rind and flesh and lemon juice.

“I invested in WTRMLN WTR because it’s the future of clean, natural hydration,” the star announced in a press release.

“This is more than an investment in a brand, it’s an investment in female leaders, fitness, American farmers, and the health of people and our planet.”

The fresh juice boasts only 3, mouth-watering ingredients.

The juice, which is referred to as a “sexy workout partner” and “bedroom friend”, promises to aid in the body’s muscular performance and recovery as it contains one third of your daily required dose of potassium – a mineral necessary for the function of all cells, tissues and organs.

The pink liquid also boasts ample amount of L-citrulline, an amino acid that aids in body’s cardiovascular health as well as lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that benefits respiratory health.

We understand why Beyonce loves this product! When you’re dancing as well as singing, the body sure needs some extra energy. Check out the Queen Bey do both with ease in the video player below! Post continues…

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Although fresh and healthy, Molly Kimball, a New Orleans-based dietician, has shared a particular health concern with Huffington Post about Bey’s new favourite beverage.

Whilst it’s true that the manufacturers add no artificial sugars into the product, a cup of watermelon in its juiced form still contains 12 grams of natural sugars. “And there’s not a lot of fiber in here to balance that out,” says the expert.

Sugar aside, the drink is lacking one very important electrolyte that is often lost in exercise; salt.

“The main electrolyte you’re losing during a sweaty workout is sodium.”

“If you’re losing a large volume of sweat during exercise, this [drink] won’t give you the sodium you need.”

The star, who admitted that she retains a vegan diet, has maintained a healthy figure throughout her career.

So what’s the takeaway?

Molly described WTRMLN WTR as a great option for those with a sweet tooth or a fab replacement for a fizzy drink.

She recommends pairing the juice with some protein such as nuts or a boiled egg in order to balance out the nutritional properties within the beverage, but not rely on it solely to replenish electrolytes lost in exercise.

We’re not sure about you, but after all of that we think these little juices would go very well on crushed ice with mint and vodka.

Just saying.

Don’t mind if we do!

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Meet the other Aussie at Eurovision

Woman's Day's very own Deputy Editor, Claire Isaac, is in Sweden for Eurovision where she chatted to the other Aussie making waves in the song contest.
Alex Zabotto Bentley

Dami Im may be the Aussie that everyone is watching this weekend as Eurovision kicks off, but behind the scenes Alex Zabotto Bentley is another Australian making waves.

He’s a well respected stylist and a creative director – he’s worked with Lady Gaga, Prince and Kylie among others – and now he’s working with the Maltese entrant, Ira Losco, for Eurovision.

And, things just got even more exciting for Alex after Ira got through to the finals of Eurovision following a killer performance during Tuesday night’s semi-final.

Claire sat down for an exclusive chat with the man behind the magic of Ira’s costumes.

It’s not just Dami representing the nation in Stockholm.

2014 Eurovision winner Conchita and Guy Sebastian announced that Dami Im will represent Australia at this year’s competition.

Claire: How did it happen?

Alex: Well, Stephane Boko, who is one of the creative directors of Cirque du Soleil was asked to be part of the Maltese delegation to coordinate the performance and because I have worked with the people I have, and understand stage performance and taking stage outfit to a different level to enhance the performance, I got asked to do the role of creative director on this.

The first thing was to work on the video clip for her song Walk On Water. I worked with Australian designers and some Australian/Maltese designers and we flew to Malta and shot the video and it has been really well received. It became obvious we had the same sensibilities and they trusted my judgement and then they asked me to do the show.

Ira Losco of Malta performs a powerful rendition of Walk On Water.

And we can’t wait to see what designs Alex brings to the table.

Claire: What does it mean to be a style director for a Eurovision contestant?

Alex: What we do in terms of style direction is to make that person the best they can ever look. I want Ira to feel and look beautiful – she

is really a gorgeous woman, and a sex symbol and a big star in Malta, and it’s really been one of the most difficult yet most gratifying projects of my life.

As for Australia’s involvement in the competition as an entrant, Alex is delighted with our Dami.

Alex: Dami’s a knockout, I love her a lot, and Steven Khalil has done an amazing job with her dress. Australia is like a melting pot, it’s like a miniature Europe, it’s very valid that we’re involved and can vote – it’s really exciting for anyone who has any form of ethnicity in their blood, it’s exciting for us to be able to vote and support our home countries!

Claire: And who is your favourite to win?

Alex: I really believe there is a wealth of talent here… though of course at this point of the competition definitely my heart lies with Ira and Dami. But there is so much amazing talent. I walk around and hear them doing their vocal training in Russian or French or whatever, it’s wild. For a boy from the ‘burbs who grew up watching Eurovision, to be standing on the stage, it’s amazing!

Eurovision will be screened on SBS on Friday 13, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May

Dami has found a new friend in Ira Losco

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Inside Prince’s luxury Caribbean villa

The late Prince’s enormous Caribbean property is up for sale and could be yours for $12 million.

The luxurious, insanely big Caribbean property of the late Prince has gone on the market for a cool $12 million.

The music legend’s retreat is in the Turks and Caicos on a peninsula on the atoll of Providenciales – once named the world’s best island. It has 10 bedrooms, two private beaches and even a purple driveway.

The Purple Rain singer bought the property in 2010 as a getaway from his Paisley Park home.

The luxury home has a tennis court, gym, home theatre, pool, boat dock, tropical gardens, a two-storey guest house, plus a three-bedroom house for staff.

So if you’ve got a few spare million, this could be yours, courtesy of Christie’s International Real Estate!

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Sharon Osbourne speaks out: ‘I can’t keep living like this’

The TV host returned to the set of The Talk this morning, where she had her own piece to say about the split from Ozzy.
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In her first appearance on the show since her marriage crisis hit headlines, Sharon Osbourne looked calm and composed as she confirmed she had indeed kicked Ozzy out of the house.

The Black Sabbath rocker is alleged to have cheated on his wife of almost 34 years with hairstylist Michelle Pugh. When the news was revealed earlier this week, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed Ozzy had moved out of their LA home – but Sharon has now revealed that Ozzy has since returned and she has moved out.

Today she returned to The Talk after taking a personal day, to clarify her feelings about the split.

“He’s given me an unbelievable life and he’s given me three gorgeous children and I love him,” she said, adding that she was still making up her mind as to whether the rift was permanent.

“I’m just trying to take it all in… and process it.”

Despite the stress of the split, Sharon went on to say that she was “doing great”.

“I really, really am. I’m honestly empowered and I have found this inner strength and I’m like, ‘What’s next’.”

In a cheeky touch, the star was sipping on lemonade as she made the statements – a cheeky nod to Beyonce’s hugely popular album which documents infidelity, Lemonade.

Ozzy himself released a statement about the rumours yesterday, denying any claims that a relapse was to blame for the separation.

“I have been sober for three and a quarter years,” he told E! News. “I have not touched drugs or alcohol in that time. Any reports that I am not sober are completely inaccurate.”

Sharon addressed the split saying she is “doing great”

Ozzy, 67, and Sharon, 63, first met in the ’70s just as Black Sabbath was beginning to rise to fame.

Sharon – the daughter of a music promoter and rock and roll entrepreneur – later became Ozzy’s manager, and was widely credited for breathing new life into his heavy metal career by establishing the Ozzfest summer touring festival.

The couple have had their fair share of ups and downs during their marriage, with Sharon revealing earlier this year that she had caught two of the children’s nannies “in bed with Ozzy” at different times.

“He’s out of his mind and he’s calling them his first wife, he’s calling them me,” she revealed, explaining that her husband hadn’t been sober at the time.

The split news came weeks after Sharon revealed she was bisexual, adding that it was too late to experiment now.

In 2013, they went on a temporary break after Ozzy had a relapse after years of staying sober, with Sharon telling her The Talk co-hosts at the time that she “never knew that he was using prescription drugs.”

“I knew he was drinking occasionally, but I didn’t realise to the extent,” she revealed.

Ozzy has also spoken out, saying he’s been sober for three year.

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A Keith Urban wrote a song about WHAT?

The country singer has taken a raunchy route with a racy new tune…
Keith Urban

American Idol season 15 winner Trent Harmon has revealed some very racy details of his debut coronation single Falling, which was co-written by the shows judge and Aussie country music legend, Keith Urban.

Upon reading the second verse of the song, Trent was quick to put two and two together, realising that the lyrics quite clearly alluded to the act of oral sex.

“You slide your fingers through my hair and tell me ‘take it slow.’ And I know what you want. And so I go down on my knees. I’m here to please.”

Judge Keith congratulates Trent as he is crowned the winner of the 15th season.

Speaking to Rolling Stone Country of the moment the competition winner first heard the song with the raunchy lyrics written just for him, he said: “We were listening [to the demo] and reading through the lyric sheet and I said, ‘Oh, wow. Cool, bro!’” said the 25-year-old.

“I really didn’t know what to say… You’ve got to grow up sometime.”

Watch Keith talk about the moment he met now-wife Nicole in the video player below! Post continues…

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The TV star – who debuted a snippet of the song in a recent live show – neglected to sing the second verse which contained the risqué reference.

When asked by Keith how much of the tune he planned to sing to the audience, Trent responded that he would likely only sing the first verse. “That’s probably for the best!” quipped back the Aussie judge.

Well, Keith is taking his responsibilities as the man from down-under to a WHOLE new level… We imagine his wife-of-ten-years is one very happy lady.

The country star only had eyes for his leading lady at last week’s Met Gala.

The way they look at each other!

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Why old Lego is sacred

When it’s finally time to sell the family home, pack up and move, there’s nowhere to take the memories but with you.

Our house is for sale and the first “open” started five minutes ago. I’d left it too late to escape. I grabbed a magazine, retreated to the veranda and pretended to be invisible.

It took a long time to decide to sell our house. So long, in fact, our children threatened to dig out their dusty “powers of attorney” and sell the house while we were at the shops. First, we had to “de-clutter”.

To “de-clutter” means to throw out your stuff, but keep everyone else’s.

Kids’ stuff is sacred. You need to pack and store it in case they ever want it again – school yearbooks, Lego, deflated footballs, blazers, photograph albums and DVDs. We even packed Bill and Sam, the garden gnomes who are close friends of our granddaughters, Sweet Pea and Captain Smiley.

Everything else we painted.

The house looked great. The delicate leadlights, the open fireplaces and the timber floors were irresistible. I’d buy the place myself if I didn’t already own it.

On the veranda, I eavesdropped from behind my magazine. “I just love it. I love the whole place,” said a female voice.

“Yeah, it’s pretty good. Close to the school and no lights to the bridge,” answered a male voice.

“Exactly,” I murmured.

“Oh, my God!” said the female voice. “Would you look at that china cabinet! Have you ever seen anything so ugly? Imagine this dining room without it. It would be fabulous!” Their voices faded as they moved to the kitchen.

I admit the china cabinet is old-fashioned, but I like to think it stops just short of being ugly, thanks to its curved glass walls and the two brass dragons that hold up a railing round the top. It was my mother’s pride and joy.

William Morris, an English textile designer, said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

“Where does that leave the china cabinet?” I asked the MOTH (the Man of the House).

“At St Vincent de Paul!” he said, without missing a beat.

The kids aren’t big fans either. When it arrived from Canada, the boys missed being able to kick footballs around the living room.

“You don’t want to be the first one to break the glass in the china cabinet!” I warned them. It turns out they weren’t. I did it while vacuuming the carpet. Who knew bevelled glass was so expensive?

The china cabinet has a story. My mother was 17 when she received her first pay packet. She counted out money for rent and a small sum for tram fare and stockings. The rest she used to lay-buy a gift for her father and stepmother.

After the best part of a year, she presented them with a second-hand china cabinet. She hoped her stepmother, a dour Scotswoman not given to displays of affection, would like it.

Years later, I grew up in the same house. The cabinet stood where it always had, crammed with treasures. There was a souvenir plate from Niagara Falls, a miniature Tower of London and ornate dinner services with gravy boats and finger bowls.

Knick-knacks and oddments filled every nook and cranny – a jug from Ireland, a doll from Italy, a figure of a boy with “Made in Occupied Japan” stamped on the bottom.

Two World Wars and a Depression left their mark. Mum thought most things too pretty or fragile to use, but on rainy days, I was allowed to take a treasure from a shelf to look at. It was like being let loose in the British Museum. I’m surprised I didn’t have to wear gloves.

When I ask my kids who wants it after I’m gone, the room empties pretty quickly. Reagan, Flynn, Patrick and Courtenay want Ruff Red to have it. In fact, they insist.

So I’ll take it with me for now. And on rainy days, I’ll let Sweet Pea and Captain Smiley play gently with some of its treasures.

To connect with Pat on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/PatMcDermottau.

This story originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

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Antique Roadshow’s $68k error

An Antiques Roadshow appraiser valued an old high school artwork at a whopping $68,000.
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Antiques Roadshow is an opportunity for members of the public to bring in their family heirlooms and random finds to be valued at hopefully an insanely high price.

But a recent episode of the US version in Washington revealed an embarrassing gaffe in which an appraisal went so very wrong.

A South Carolina man by the name of Alvin Barr had previously bought a piece of pottery for $300 in an estate sale which he brought onto the show.

He said: “It was up in barn. It was covered with dirt and straw. Looked like some chicken droppings were on it. It was very dirty. I had to have it. It speaks to me.”

The appraiser Stephen L. Fletcher began examining the bizarre piece and found it so fascinating that he valued it at $50,000 (AU$68,000).

He said: “You even see a little bit of, like, Pablo Picasso going on here. It’s a little difficult to identify precisely when this was made, but I think it’s probably late 19th or early 20th century.”

And that’s when it all went hilariously wrong.

Betsy Soule got a call from a friend who was watching the show and recognised the piece – Betsy actually made it in her high school ceramics class in the 70s!

Ms Soule then got in touch with the show and sent in a photo of herself with similar-looking pots she’s made.

Awkward!

Antique Roadshow then scrambled to make a change in the appraisal, changing the valuation on their website to between $3,000-5,000.

Mr Fletcher responded with: “As far as its age is concerned, I was fooled, as were some of my colleagues … Still, not bad for a high-schooler in Oregon.”

He also praised the young student’s skill, saying in a statement: “We have sold at auction several examples from the 19th century — all of which are from the eastern half of the United States, and have a single grotesque face — some for five figures.”

“This example, with its six grotesque faces, was modelled or sculpted with considerable imagination, virtuosity and technical competence … the techniques of making pottery, in many ways, haven’t changed for centuries.”

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Sweet and sticky warm desserts

Sticky date, butterscotch and gooey chocolate sauce – we’ve picked out favourite warm wintery desserts to get you through the cooler night. You’re welcome!

Sticky date, butterscotch and gooey chocolate sauce – we’ve picked out favourite warm wintery desserts to get you through the cooler night. You’re welcome!

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