Sam Smith opens up about the 'nightmare' of teenage liposuction
Sam Smith reflected on a painful memory from their youth — undergoing liposuction at just 13 years old after facing relentless teasing about their body during school years.
"I had surgery on my chest when I was 13 years old, because I had a growing chest," Smith said on Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast.
They explained that constant taunts made even ordinary school activities unbearable:
"I was just getting so teased, I couldn't go swimming in school, and getting changed in the locker room was hell."
Smith described their parents as being deeply supportive throughout the ordeal, recognizing how much the bullying was affecting their wellbeing.
"They just saw how much it was crippling everything about me," Smith recalled.
Speaking about the experience afterward, Smith noted that while the liposuction worked technically, it turned into what they called a “nightmare.”
"It worked, but it was also a nightmare because they gave me a bandage," they said, adding that the restrictive wrap ended up making recovery harder.
Struggles and reflection
Looking back, Smith recognized how much their relationship with body image and food shaped those early experiences. Despite the pain, they have found strength in openly sharing that period of their life to highlight the emotional toll of bullying and body pressure at a young age.
Author’s summary: Sam Smith recalled their early liposuction experience at 13, exposing the deep emotional scars left by bullying and showing how parental support guided their recovery.