Nicola McLean, who has always been open after suffering from anorexia and bulimia since she was 11, says online body-shaming abuse got too much and she took the jabs as a reaction
Former glamour model Nicola McLean has said the fat jabs she had in retaliation to online trolls left her seriously ill.
The mum of two, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2012 and again in 2017, has been married to former footballer Tom Williams since 2009. The couple have two children, Rocky, 18, and Striker, 14, – but she says she was left too unwell to care for them after being left bedbound.
With more and more people paying for the injections, she has spoken of her experience a few years ago. After being offered them for free by someone on Instagram, she suffered excruciating headaches and was unable to leave her room. She said yes after being hounded by low life social media users who bombarded her with body-shaming remarks.
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Speaking about her experience to draw attention to the issues with the jobs, Nicola detailed what she went through and said: “Every morning I’d inject myself with it, but after about a week of using it, I started to feel really ill. I was violently sick, and Tom was like, ‘That is so odd for you’.
“I have got the strongest stomach you’ll ever know from being bulimic for years,” she told The Sun. “Then I started getting headaches, but I brushed those off. Tom kept saying, ‘It’s this skinny jab, ’ but I would brush him off, too. I was obviously in denial. My weight was more important to me.”
Nicola has been open about the cosmetic procedures she has had, including three boob jobs taking her to a 32GG. Admitting this made it more difficult for her to keep on top of checking her breasts. The 43-year-old discovered a lump there last November and admits she automatically thought the worst.
Nicola candidly says, “I found a lump on my breast while I was moisturising and immediately I broke down in tears and thought, ‘What if it’s cancer?’ “Straight away I thought, ‘I’m going to die,’” continues Nicola, who has suffered with severe anxiety for several years. “Something like this makes my mind go into overdrive. As someone who has anxiety anyway, this was just awful.”
While she informed her husband straight away after finding the lump, Nicola says she couldn’t face telling their sons. “Tom was amazing – he’s so supportive and we talk about everything. He’s the calm one and was telling me, ‘We don’t know what it is yet,’ and being really rational.
“I didn’t tell the kids. I would never tell the kids something like this – I wouldn’t want to worry them. They know I have anxiety, and I’ll tell them when I’m feeling anxious because I think it’s good to talk about it, but I’d never worry them with something like this.”
Thankfully, doctors confirmed that the lump was benign and not cancerous, something Nicola was more than relieved to hear. “I went to the GP, who referred me to the cancer unit. They were great – really quick with everything,” she told the Mirror.
“It was a massive relief. But being referred to a cancer unit is scary in itself. The doctor said if the lump had been larger than 4cm it would have had to be removed, but it wasn’t, thankfully.”
Following the traumatising experience, Nicola says she’s feeling grateful for her health and looking forward to the year ahead. “I feel a good energy this year. I’m feeling really positive and happy at the moment. I think it’s going to be a good year and I’m ready to face everything head on now.”
*For help and support on eating disorders contact Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677.
