Shirley Ballas on Surgery Regrets: Fears of Looking ‘Like a Pensioner’ After Having Fat Transferred from Arms to Face

Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge Shirley Ballas has spoken about undergoing cosmetic surgery for the first time, after fearing she’d ‘look like an old-age pensioner with bingo wings’ on the show. 

The dancer, 65, has shared her regrets at undergoing liposuction that sucked fat ‘out of her arms, tummy and bottom’, admitting it has left her with skin ‘like crepe paper.’

Shirley also reflected on her own struggles with self-image, and said still feels insecure when sat next to her fellow judges on the Strictly panel.

Earlier this month, the star revealed she’d splashed out £4,000 on a non-surgical facelift, including a course of NeoGen nitrogen plasma treatments from top Harley Street doctor, Dr Johanna Ward.

Speaking on Paul C Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Shirley shared that for the first time she’d undergone liposuction to fill out the cheeks in her face.

She said: ‘I did that, lipo I had, which I’m so sorry I did now, because now I can see where they sucked out the muscle and the skin is like, crepe paper. 

‘So in certain angles, not in the outside because I have strong legs, but if I’m bending over to put moisturizer on, I can see still where they took it all out. I had fat sucked out my arms, had fat sucked out my tummy and my bottom and then I had fat sucked out of here and stuck in my face – because somebody said I had a face, skeletal like or like one of them dogs that has a really pointed face. 

‘So I think, ”oh, I’ve got to make my cheeks a bit bigger” or things like that. So I’ve done vampire facelifts, I’ve had things sucked out, put in – you name it, I’ve done it from yo-yo dieting to starving to only eating porridge for six weeks.

‘To each lady who’s listening, to their own. Whatever makes you feel good about yourself. 

‘Because the thing is, it’s mostly women will come on and criticize me. But you don’t know me. You don’t know anything about my life, which has been absolute turbulence. You don’t know whay I go home to at night.’

Shirley added she still struggles to accept her appearance, and finds it difficult to even look in a mirror.

She added: ‘I don’t like looking in mirrors. Even when I’m teaching every student that you will ever come across, I say to them ”do not look in mirrors. Don’t force me to look in the mirror. You must concentrate with your partner’.’ 

‘I don’t like mirrors. They tell the truth. I don’t like them. And I just say to each woman, whatever makes you feel comfortable. I was a curvy girl. If you’re comfortable, curvy, if you’re comfortable within yourself, good for you. 

‘But I have to be, still searching for me. What’s comfortable for me. And I feel better when I’m, you know, a lot thinner than I am now even, let’s say.’

And despite her glamorous appearances on the Strictly judging panel, Shirley added that she will spend weeks preparing for the series, due to fears how she’ll look when seated next to her co-stars.

She added: ‘I’ve been six weeks getting ready for Strictly so far, you know and I’m juicing and eating small meals and taking care of myself, drinking lots of water, trying to be all that I can be. 

‘And I sometimes look at something and my friends say to me, ”oh, have it, you know, don’t you think you’ve deserved it?” And then I think, well, what will I look like behind that desk? I sit next to Anton Du Beke, who’s very slender. 

‘I sit next to Motsi, who’s a beautiful figure, and then Craig, on the end. You know, I don’t want to look like the old age pensioner with bingo wings. I’m a pensioner. I have a train pass. The bus pass. I get free medication. I’m a pensioner, typically.’

Shirley went onto share that she ‘does the best she can’ when it comes to looking after her appearance, including drinking water and moisturising regularly.

Earlier this month, Shirley admitted she feels ’20 years younger’ after unveiling the results of her non-surgical facelift.

Shirley has splashed out a massive £4,400 on high-tech aesthetic procedures including a course of NeoGen nitrogen plasma treatments from top Harley Street doctor, Dr Johanna Ward. 

After seven months of procedures, the BBC star looks younger than ever as she showcased her transformation gushing that she feels more ‘confident’ and ready to appear on Strictly which launches on Saturday.

Shirley revealed: ‘I was on Instagram posting pictures of myself celebrating my 65th birthday with my mum a week ago and several women made rude comments saying, “your mum looks amazing but of course you’ve had so much work done Shirley, facelifts and all”.

‘Well, I need to set the record straight here – I haven’t had any surgical facelifts of any kind, at any time. I mean, you can tell I’ve got no stitches or scars.’

Since the start of the year Shirley has undergone a course of six NeoGen nitrogen plasma treatments at the W1 Skin Clinic, in London.

The procedure is completely non-invasive and works by tricking the body into producing high levels of collagen and elastin, key proteins that create youthful and radiant skin.

It’s not the first time Shirley has used these treatments but she explained how the results have been life-changing.

She said: ‘I never thought at 65 I would feel the way I feel about myself. When I hit 60, I was dreading the inevitable decline of my appearance, I had dark blotches on my skin, my skin looked tired, jowls were starting to fall, and I started to panic so I started to research all the different treatments that one can do.’

Looking at her before and after treatment pictures, Shirley said: ‘Now when I look in the mirror, I see this fresh face. It’s not a little difference. It’s a huge difference.

‘I find my jawline is more defined. I don’t have all those spots all over my face. My skin looks brighter. There’s not a mark on my forehead. And my neck looks so much better. I mean, I think that’s impressive.’

Shirley continued: ‘I think my investment within Neogen and Dr Johanna Ward has been worth it I’ve become a little bit of an addict to my NeoGen treatments, as well as taking my collagen supplements, and the skin creams that Dr Ward has prescribed.

‘I feel like my skin could probably pass for around 45, and I’m really proud that I stuck to my regime and that I treated myself.’

Listen to the full interview on We Need To Talk With Paul Brunson, available now.