Forget what you think you know about the overconfident villain you met on The Bachelor – the real Keira Maguire is much more self-critical.
Since landing in the spotlight earlier this year, the 30-year-old Sydney babe has been agonising over her looks, revealing to NW that she started planning a surgery overhaul to regain confidence after watching just one episode of the show.
“When I was young, people would be like, ‘Oh my god, your nose goes to one side,’ but I’d never noticed it before,” she explains. “I didn’t worry too much until I saw myself on TV… The first night I watched the show I was sitting there, like, ‘Ew, this is f**ked.’ My nose is just so bad on camera.”
Seeking out ENT Specialist Dr Michael Zacharia in Sydney’s Double Bay to give her a new nose was just one part of Keira’s ongoing $22,000 transformation, which includes smaller procedures like vampire facials to help heal scarring, lip fillers, Botox to prevent wrinkles, and cosmetic tattooing on her brows. “I’ve always wanted to be perfect,” she tells NW.
So did it work? “Now I look in the mirror and I’m like, ‘F**k, you look good! Like, who are you?'” Winning! Keen for more deets? So were we – so we asked the sassy starlet to pen a surgery diary…
Day 1
*I’ve changed into a robe and have been waiting a couple of hours for the doctor to arrive. I’m pretty nervous, so to kill time I’m having a little Snapchat session. To be honest, I thought I would be much more nervous than I am – this feels so right. After three nurses come in and ask me questions, Dr Zacharia finally arrives and talks me through what he’s going to do.
I told him in the consultation that I wanted to wear a middle part in my hair. He told me that’s the first time anyone has said that to him!
And here we go…Before I know it, it’s all done and I’m awake in my patient room. An hour later, I’ve gone home. I’m feeling pretty giggly from the drugs. My friend has brought me flowers and it’s like I’ve taken a truth serum. I feel sorry for him because before long I’ve gone from laughing to crying.
I’m hungry, but I can’t eat because it could cause too much movement around my nose. I feel so high from the drugs that I see myself in the mirror and think I look like a clown. It’s been a big day. I cry my eyes out and go to bed.*
Day 2
Oh my god – my mouth is so dry! I can’t breathe out of my nose and I’m feeling dehydrated. The first thing I do is brush my teeth, then I spend the whole day drinking water.
I’ve also got this silicone thing beneath my nose and it’s covered in blood. I’m taking heaps of antibiotics, vitamin-C powder and painkillers.
Day 3
OK, so I’ve started to bruise and swell around the nose and under my eyes, and it’s actually pretty bad. I’ve been clearing out the nose like my doctor told me to do, and it’s intense – there is a lot of dried blood you have to get out. Every morning, I wake up to blood dripping down my throat – it’s really gross, but I have to cough it up.
I know this is going to take time, but the result will be worth it. I’m not going to worry too much about what I look like right now. I head to the doctor’s for a check-up, where I sit under white lights to aid healing. Everything’s tracking well so far!
Day 4
Spoke too soon… Today is the worst yet! I am so swollen, I can’t believe it. On the plus side, my bruises are starting to turn yellow, which means they’re beginning to heal.
I’m following my doctor’s orders and applying pawpaw ointment to my stitches to keep them moisturised – doing this will prevent scarring, which I do not want! I’ve seen some bad results in the past from people not doing this, so I’m taking it pretty seriously.
Day 6
Yellow bruises are a sign that everything’s healing OK!
Day 7
They’re taking out my splints and stitches today – finally! It’s so gross under there and the swelling is massive. The doctors stretch my nostrils so much they feel as if they’re going to break.
It really hurts, but I can breathe out of my nose again! I’m healing really well – my doctor tells me I’m one of his best patients, as I was so well prepared for the surgery, taking all my tablets and vitamin C.
Day 10
I’m getting my cast off today. The doctors have prepared me, explaining that there’s going to be a lot of blood and swelling, so I know not to judge it just yet. When they take off the cast, it’s a mess, but they give it a gentle wipe to clean it up and… OH MY GOD, IT’S SO STRAIGHT!
I’m looking at myself in the mirror and I’m struggling to take it all in. It’s still swollen, but wow! I get home and the first thing I do is take some selfies and send them to friends! I’m loving life right now.
Day 12
I run into a friend and the first thing she says is, “Your nose!” Some people don’t realise what they say to you can really hurt your feelings. I get that people are trying to be nice, but at the end of the day, if I wanted to get my nose done, I wanted to get my nose done. I’m trying not to show too much emotion about how it looks just now.
I know it’s not completely healed – but when it is, it will look amazing!
Day 13
It was such a little thing, but my nose made me feel so insecure. Now I’m a much more confident person. I’m looking in the mirror trying to find faults with it but… Look at me bragging – I’m outrageous! I’m loving these selfies now.
I’m so grateful that I could fix something I’ve had an issue with for so long. We all put such pressure on ourselves and now I feel like a great weight has been taken off – it’s a really weird feeling, but I am so happy.
What’s next?
Yes, I have flaws and that’s fine, but my appearance is a work in progress. I’m thinking of having a boob job next – but maybe just boosting them to little teardrops, not big bazookas.
Maybe after I have kids, though. I’m giving myself five years.
Keira’s surgery bill
Photographer – Yianni Aspradakis
