Stars Who Have Had Breast Implants Removed

Major plastic surgery and minor cosmetic procedures are relatively common in the entertainment industry, where stars are under extreme pressure to stay as beautiful and as youthful — and arguably as popular and as profitable — for as long as possible. As the late Joan Rivers once said, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware." Along with nose jobs, Botox, fillers, liposuction, facelifts, and, er, knee lifts, getting breast implants is something that plenty of stars have done (with some pretty memorable blunders, too). However, some famous figures (who have famous figures) later get their breast implants removed, which is also "becoming more popular," Dr. Marco Faria Correa, a plastic and cosmetic surgeon, told Vice.

There are plenty of reasons why someone would get rid of their implants. While some may simply no longer like the way they look or feel, others might be dealing with health issues. Harvard Medical School's Health Publishing notes that "there are some documented risks associated with breast implants ... includ[ing] potential surgical complications (like infection) and implant rupture." Even the FDA lists the "risks and complications of breast implants."

Indeed, some of those reasons are why these celebrities — including actresses, singers, and reality TV stars — have had their breast implants removed.

When it comes to Victoria Beckham's breasts, "she's visibly gone up (and down) in cup sizes over the years, and ended up really regretting it," according to People. While that's certainly no one's business but her own, the former Spice Girl sat down with Allure in 2014 and while "gazing at an old photo featuring a fair amount of cleavage, she [felt] the need to describe the fate of those breasts: 'I don't have them anymore.' A small pause: 'I think I may have purchased them.' And then what? She is asked. Did your breasts just leave? 'Or they got removed, one or the other,' she says. You removed the implants? 'Yeah,' she replies with satisfaction."

During that same conversation, Beckham was asked if she had the implants taken out "because they hurt," and while she denied that, she also didn't offer a reason for getting them removed.

The former singer and current fashion designer was willing to open up a little more while penning a message to her younger self in 2017 for Vogue UK. "Don't mess with your boobs. All those years I denied it — stupid. A sign of insecurity," she admitted. She then told her past self and perhaps others who are experiencing what she was — i.e. those who are insecure or thinking about getting breast implants — "Just celebrate what you've got."

These days, Yolanda Hadid may be known as a reality TV star and the mother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, but she was once a model herself and apparently felt like she needed plastic surgery over the years to fine-tune her appearance, including getting breast implants — which she's since removed.

"Finally back to the original 1964. Living in a body free of breast implants, fillers, botox, [extensions], and all the bullsh*t I thought I needed in order to keep up with what society conditioned me to believe what a sexy woman should look like until the toxicity of it all almost killed me," she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post in January 2019. "Your health is your wealth so please make educated decisions, research the partial information you're given by our broken system before putting anything foreign in your body."

The star also opened up about issues she'd had with her implants on Bravo's website, writing, "I ruptured an implant 10 years ago in a water-skiing fall, the leakage from that incident had travelled, over the years, through my body and taken a life of its own." Apparently, "2.8-3 cm silicone granulomas were found in [her] lymph nodes, under [her] clavicle bone, and deep inside [her] chest cavity, creating a constant immune response and," she admitted, "a constant feeling of something that was trying to kill me from the inside out."

At the peak of her fame in 2010, Heidi Montag famously had ten cosmetic surgeries done in one day, including a chin reduction, a brow lift, and Botox injections as well as getting size F breast implants, which she told Us Weekly weighed "about three pounds each." However, by 2013, she decided she didn't want them anymore. "They were so heavy they were falling through the skin," she told People in 2016. "It was just too heavy for my body and I was in pain and uncomfortable all the time. I thought, 'What do I need [these] big of breasts for?'"

The former reality TV star also talked about the impact the procedures had, saying, "I was in way over my head ... I had no idea what I was getting into or that it was a lifelong commitment. It was very challenging, both physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, on my husband [Spencer Pratt], and on our lives." Montag continued by admitting that the "fallout" from what both she and her husband were doing — including "spend[ing] more money" on things like the surgeries — "was a huge turning point ... in such a negative way."

"Sometimes I can't believe I did that to us and to me. It's been a lot to overcome," she added. However, she says, "I don't want to say I regret it 100 percent because I've tried to grow from it."

Melissa Gilbert may be best known for her role on Little House on the Prairie, however, even starring on such a wholesome show didn't prevent her from experiencing pressure related to her body. In a December 2014 blog post aptly titled "A Tale of Two Titties," the actress opened up about getting implants, saying that "at the tender age of 17," she got "the message" that it was better for her to have big breasts even though she says that she "really was happy" with her breasts, noting that they were "small (A cups) but low maintenance."

But after having her son, Gilbert's chest got bigger while breastfeeding and then "disappeared" afterward. It surely didn't help that her "husband at the time," called her breasts "socks full of marbles with knots at the top.'" After they split, she had her breasts done — "Not too big, just enough to fill up the 'socks.'"

However, at the time of the post, the star filled her fans and readers in on the fact that she was having her breast implants removed the following week. "The bottom line ... or top line ... is that; A. I am concerned for my health and 2. I don't like the way they look or feel. Frankly, I'd like to be able to take a Zumba class without the fear that I'll end up with two black eyes."

Fans of Glee will surely remember Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce, a cheerleader — or, rather, a "Cheerio" — at William McKinley High School. Morris is also someone who formerly worked as a backup dancer for Beyoncé, which proves that she knows how to move her body in intriguing ways. And being able to continue to do so is, in part, why she told a staffer at Fitness (via Cosmopolitan) in 2011 that she had formerly had breast implants, but had chosen to have them removed.

"Implants were something I thought I wanted when I was younger, and now I don't," she said. "It was hard being active with them, because my chest was always sore. It hurt a lot, and I didn't like always being in pain, so they had to go!"

Now that she can exercise without her breast implants causing her pain, she revealed that she was eager to give "The Tracy Anderson Method [a routine that incorporates aerobics and dance moves]" a try. "Gwyneth Paltrow [who appeared on an episode of Glee in 2010] promised she'd take me, but she's so busy that we've yet to go," Morris admitted. "Gwyneth has a killer body, so I'm willing to try whatever she does to look like that!"