Sam Smith Opens Up About Childhood Weight Struggles
Sam Smith shared insights into their difficult experience with body image during childhood in a recent podcast interview with Penn Badgley on Podcrushed. Responding to a question from Badgley's co-host about challenges they faced growing up, Smith focused on the teasing related to their weight and the social stigma surrounding it.
Weight-Related Bullying and Its Impact
Smith expressed that while their queerness was something they managed to accept early on — coming out as gay at age 10 — their weight was the hardest obstacle during school years. They revealed,
“My queerness was something that I could handle and I could have a grasp on it. But it was my weight as a kid that was the hardest thing for me in school and weirdly the thing I got teased the most about.”
This persistent teasing eventually led to medical intervention.
Liposuction Surgery at Age 13
Supported by their parents, Smith underwent liposuction at 13 due to a "growing chest," which caused further bullying. They recalled,
“I was just getting so teased, I couldn’t go swimming in school. Getting changed in the locker room was hell.”
Although the surgery had some effect, Smith described the experience as a "nightmare." Despite being told they only needed to wear the post-surgery chest bandage for a month, Smith wore it for over a year.
Post-Surgery Experience and Coping Mechanisms
The chest bandage helped Smith avoid further teasing, granting them small daily comforts, as they explained:
“If I wore the bandage, it meant that I would get to the front of the lunch queue. Because everyone had to be sensitive about my chest. I’d just get first at lunch queue and I’d eat more and eat more and eat more. And so the surgery never really worked. Because I just love food.”
Author’s Summary
Sam Smith’s reflection reveals how childhood weight-based bullying deeply affected their life and how coping strategies sometimes complicated their healing process.