Neighbours star Melissa Bell reveals how she is finally happy in her own skin after six major cosmetic operations.
“I’m finally happy,” Melissa, 42, said to Woman’s Day. “I’m comfortable with who I am, what I’ve done and what I’ve got.”
After many years hiding in the dark, Melissa reveals she’s battled body dysmorphia (a mental illness causing people to believe their appearance is defective) and depression since the breakdown of her first marriage, admitting she turned to drastic cosmetic surgery as a coping mechanism.
“My first husband left me the minute my eldest son Dylan was born. I was still in the hospital and I’d just had a caesarean, so it was quite traumatic. Then you start to think, ‘Am I the problem? Did my marriage break down because of the way I look?’ I guess that’s what triggered me into getting my first operation.”
Melissa had her first liposuction surgery on her legs at the age of 24, and since then, has returned for two more procedures on her legs. The soap star has also undergone three breast augmentations and two Botox treatments on her face. She’s had human growth hormone injected into her body and a balloon inserted into her stomach to suppress her hunger.
“Once you start the cycle of getting work done, you just think, ‘Oh, this is pretty normal,’?” explains Melissa.
“You almost start to feel a bit trapped by it all, and it gets more risky as you go along.”
But after two decades of battling her demons, Mel’s finally found light at the end of the tunnel, and doubts she’ll ever return to the operating table.
“I’ve got four beautiful children to look after, so I can’t keep putting myself at risk,” the doting mum admits.
“I’ve finally learnt to work with what I’ve got and be happy and comfortable with who I am.”
Read more and see all the photos from Melissa’s dramatic transformation only in Woman’s Day– on sale 17th November.
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