She shot to fame as a glamour model in the noughties, regularly gracing the covers of lads’ mags and posing topless for Page 3 between 1996 to 2004 – coming fourth in a “best Page 3 girl of all time” poll. But now, Nicola McLean tells Closer she’s desperate to reduce the size of her famous 32GG boobs which saw her gain notoriety and earn a small fortune.
The star – mum to sons, Rocky, 18, and Striker, 13, with husband and ex-footballer Tom Williams – is no stranger to surgery. She had her first boob job aged 22, taking her from a C to an E-cup, later admitting she was “too young”, and had further surgery taking her to a GG, currently the biggest size allowed in the UK. The star also had an uplift and lipo in 2019, where she had five litres of fat removed as part of a “mummy makeover”.
Nicola, 42, tells Closer, "My boobs are just too big for my body now. They’re so heavy that there’s not enough skin to support how much they weigh, so they’re sagging, and at this size they’ll keep needing an uplift, which I won’t put myself through."
She adds, "Back in the ’90s, it was all about massive boobs, I was inspired by Pamela Anderson and Jordan and that was the era. It helped my career for sure. My boobs made me into a character and gave me a purpose – but I don’t want that purpose anymore. Now they make me feel really insecure because I catch people staring, which I hate. I know it’s a bizarre thing that you would have surgery and then not like the attention that comes with it, but I’m an introverted person, which surprises people.
"I wouldn’t get them out completely, but I want a less ridiculous size. When I muster up the courage, I’ll go to a D-cup.’ Though she jokes she’s being gently persuaded by Tom to reconsider. She laughs, "Tom’s gutted, he loves them! He’s like, 'I don’t think they’re that big, babe' and I’m like, 'Yes, they are, they’re massive!'"
But while she wants to tone down her look, Nicola, who has starred in I’m A Celeb! and Celebrity Big Brother, admits her boobs are causing her agony. "They’re a nightmare, I have to ask my son to walk on my back every day to click it because it’s so painful," she explains. "I see a chiropractor every six weeks, and I take strong [prescription] painkillers. My GP even referred me to have physio. I’m probably carrying around an extra stone, which is taking its toll."
She adds, "Clothes are trickier now and can make me look bigger. I’m only a size 8, but my boobs make me a size 14 on top. I can’t wear shirts or dresses that don’t have any stretch."
Despite wanting a reduction, Nicola remains cautious about rushing back to the operating table. She says, "During my last procedure, a blood vessel burst which can happen with large implants. They sewed me back up without realising what had happened internally, and I lost a quarter of my blood. I had emergency surgery two hours later once they realised; I had the blood drained from my body and I was in a really bad way. I genuinely thought I was going to die, so a part of me is petrified."
She admits it’s put her off having any additional procedures. "I won’t have any more surgery. I just think, imagine the boys not having a mum, and someone asking, 'How did your mum die?' and they’d say, 'Oh, she was getting her boobs made bigger', how embarrassing! I don’t think surgery should be allowed until 21, and more questions should be asked. Is it really ethical to give someone implants that are too big for their body?"
Nicola’s pal Katie Price has just made headlines after recently undergoing her sixth facelift in Turkey and was in court last week for a bankruptcy hearing. Nicola says the pair are still in touch. She says, "I’ve known Katie for a long time. I’ve sent her messages of support; it’s not nice to read that she gets a hammering constantly. She was my idol in the glamour industry, I never thought she needed any surgery, she’s absolutely stunning."
Meanwhile, Nicola has been open about her lifelong battle with eating disorders and extreme anxiety that left her with constant feelings of ‘fight-or-flight’. But after being diagnosed with ADHD two years ago, Nicola says her life has changed. She says, "My bulimia’s completely gone since I’ve been medicated for ADHD. For 20 years, I was sick every single day, and more than once.
"I do believe the bulimia was definitely part of the ADHD. Even my anxiety is better now. I feel so much calmer and in control of my thoughts, the diagnosis has changed my life."