Busty Michelle Visage has told how she felt pressure to get breast implants growing up because boyfriends mocked her small boobs.
The Ireland’s Got Talent judge has battled an autoimmune condition of her thyroid for over 20 years and is urging women to look out for the tell tale signs of implant illness.
Michelle, 50, who recently got her fake breasts out, said: “I grew up with my dad getting a subscription of Playboy magazine and I looked at these women and figured I’d never be that, I’m not that.
“I had boyfriends make fun of me because I was flat chested and instead of embracing it, I took the surgery route.
“Over the past 20 years I did not have one doctor that said my illness was related to my breast implants.
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“So I came to the conclusion myself and when I did start researching I realised there are hundreds and thousands of women like myself.”
The singer is in a Facebook group with over 70,000 women who aim to lift the lid on the illness.
She said: “By taking our implants out and going to the doctors and seeing our blood work change and get better and heal we’ve realised there’s a scientific link to breast implants, health and cancer.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race star had three breast implants inserted age 21, 26 and another set at 33 because they were leaking.
She added: “It sets the alarm bells but you don’t need to have a rupture to have implant illness, it’s got to do with the shell of the implant, being toxic itself.”
The mum-of-two said growing up, she was flat chested and did not feel complete.
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Michelle told RTE’s Ryan Tubridy radio show: “Yes I loved them and enjoyed them but nobody warned me this could happen 15 years down the line and if they don’t rupture you can have them until you die.”
With a documentary in the works an implant free Michelle said she feels healthier than ever.
She said: “I have explanted and I’m doing a documentary on it because there are lots of women out there who are suffering who don’t know they’re sick because of their breast implants because the FDA have told us they’re fine.
“The explant was more difficult than the implant, I was on my couch for four weeks and I could not do anything, my husband had to walk me to the bathroom, my body is detoxing now and I feel better than I have in the past 15 years.”
