Inside Sam Smith’s Scars

Grammy-winning artist Sam Smith is opening up about a deeply personal chapter of their early life — undergoing liposuction at just 13 years old, and how the experience turned into what they now describe as a “nightmare.”

During the November 5 episode of the Podcrushed podcast — hosted by Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari, and Nava Kavelin — Sam Smith, 33, got candid about their ongoing battle with body image and the insecurities that shaped their teenage years.

The Grammy-winning singer admitted that their struggle with weight started early on and became a constant source of pain.

“For me, it was always my weight,” Smith revealed. “It was the toughest thing to deal with at school — and, honestly, what I was teased about the most.”

Haunted by body shaming and feeling completely out of place, Smith said they eventually turned to cosmetic surgery at just 13 years old in hopes of finding confidence.

“I had surgery on my chest because it was growing in a way that made me feel so uncomfortable,” they explained. “Swimming classes were torture, and changing in the locker room felt like a nightmare.”

Smith revealed that their parents supported the decision because they saw how much the bullying affected their mental health. But despite the operation, the emotional toll lingered.

“It did what it was supposed to, but the experience turned into a total nightmare,” Smith confessed. “They wrapped my chest in this bandage that felt like a bra something I was only meant to wear for a few weeks. But I ended up keeping it on for nearly a year because it gave me an excuse to move to the front of the lunch line. And honestly, I just kept eating more and more.”

The singer has spoken before about their early body struggles — including in a 2019 interview with Jameela Jamil for her I Weigh series — admitting that surgery didn’t fix the deeper issues tied to food and self-image.

“At the time, I think I was very happy about it,” Smith said then. “But it didn’t really change anything. I think I put the weight back on in two weeks because I hadn’t figured out my relationship with food.”

Years later, Smith says they’ve made peace with their body. In a 2023 interview with The Sunday Times, they reflected on finding confidence through self-acceptance:

“I now have the opposite of body dysmorphia. I look fabulous. I’m finally getting a tan. I’m burnt in places I’ve never been burnt.”