Sam Smith Shares Childhood Experience with Liposuction
Sam Smith revealed they underwent surgery at the age of 13 to cope with insecurities, receiving full support from their parents. The singer opened up during an interview on Penn Badgley’s podcast, Podcrushed, on November 5th, providing a rare and honest look into their early life.
Bullying and Body Image Struggles
When asked about growing up queer in Cambridgeshire, Sam explained that their main challenge was bullying related to their weight rather than their queerness.
“For me, it was always my weight. My queerness was something that I could handle, and I could have a grasp on it. But my weight as a kid was the hardest thing for me in school, and weirdly the thing I probably got teased the most about.”
Early Surgery and Its Impact
In an effort to stop the bullying, Sam chose to have liposuction—a highly invasive procedure involving the insertion of a tube to remove fat—at just 13 years old. They also had surgery on their chest due to physical changes and teasing.
“I had surgery on my chest when I was 13 years old because I had a growing chest. There was all sorts of reasons why, but mainly that I was just getting so teased. I couldn’t go swimming in school, and getting changed in the locker room was hell. So I got liposuction when I was 13 years old.”
Despite Sam being a child, their parents fully supported the decision to undergo surgery.
Reflection
Although the surgery addressed some immediate issues, it did not provide a long-term solution to their struggles.
Sam noted that the surgery “didn’t help long term.”
Author’s summary: Sam Smith bravely shares how childhood bullying about their weight led to liposuction at 13, supported by their parents, but acknowledges it did not resolve deeper challenges.