Michelle Heaton said her loose skin is the least of her worries because more importantly, she ‘should be dead’ after struggling with alcohol addiction.
The Liberty X star, 44, has worked tirelessly to get in the best shape of her life after she nearly died and was hospitalised in 2021 during her battle with drink and drugs.
And while she is now healthier and toned, the brunette beauty told The Sun’s Fabulous she used to be frustrated by the loose skin gathering around her stomach.
But after debating going under the knife to remove the excess, Michelle has grown to love her body the way it is and wants to inspire others to do the same.
She told the publication: ‘I don’t love my loose skin, but it’s about acceptance. I’ve learned to appreciate my body for what it is.
Michelle Heaton, 44, revealed that her saggy skin is the least of her worries as she admitted that she should be dead after struggling with alcohol addiction
The Liberty X star, has worked tirelessly to get in the best shape of her life after she nearly died and was hospitalised in 2021 during her battle with drink and drugs (pictured in 2021)
‘From what I’ve been through, I should be dead – that’s the reality of my addictions.’
The fitness enthusiast revealed that after everything she has been through, she cannot put her body through surgery.
Acknowledging that there are many options on the market to help decrease the level of sagging, she admitted that she believes nothing will ‘fix’ it.
Michelle credits some of the loose skin to the 2st weight loss resulting from ditching the booze, exercising regularly and eating healthily.
Despite Michelle initially being unhappy with it, her husband of nearly 14 years, personal trainer Hugh Hanley, 45, has never been negative about it.
The Gateshead-born singer revealed that she and her husband Hugh don’t see each other’s imperfections and he doesn’t see what she was upset over.
The two lovebirds share their daughter Faith, 12, and their son AJ, who is 10.
Michelle’s body has already been put through a lot of trauma and strain, so the thought of having a tummy tuck seems unnecessary.
While she may be healthier now and toned, the brunette beauty said she had been left frustrated by her loose skin gathering around her stomach
After debating going under the knife to remove the excess, Michelle has grown to love her body the way it is and wants to inspire others to do the same
The fitness enthusiast revealed that after everything she has been through, she cannot put her body through surgery (pictured in hospital in December 2020)
Acknowledging that there are many options on the market to help decrease the level of sagging, she admitted that she believes nothing will ‘fix’ it (pictured in February)
Michelle credits some of the loose skin to the 2st weight loss resulting from ditching the booze, exercising regularly and eating healthily (pictured in March)
Despite Michelle initially being unhappy with it, her husband of nearly 14 years, personal trainer Hugh Hanley, 45, has never been negative about it (pictured in March)
In 2012, she discovered she carried the BRCA-2 gene, putting her at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
She bravely underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction as well as a total hysterectomy but needed a second boob job later on when one of her implants ruptured.
This put her into an early menopause, which Michelle claimed had an impact on her marriage as she admitted in 2018 that she has not been the ‘best wife’.
She also claimed ‘it would have been easier to die’ than go through the ordeal she suffered in the height of her drug and alcohol addiction.
Michelle checked into rehab in April, 2021 after being warned that she would die if she didn’t change her ways.
Yet in the build up to seeking help, Michelle was trying to hide her drinking from her family, secretly binging on vodka while her hair fell out and skin turned translucent as a result of her drinking.
Speaking in a candid interview with OK! magazine, Michelle confessed: ‘It might sound selfish, but the first four months of this year it would have been easier to die. I’m surprised I’m still here’.
Michelle checked into rehab in April, 2021 after being warned that she would die if she didn’t change her ways and has been sober for nearly three years(pictured in 2021)
Michelle sadly claimed ‘it would have been easier to die’ than go through the ordeal she suffered in the height of her drug and alcohol addiction
The singer stressed that although she hadn’t been contemplating suicide, she believed she would die soon, and didn’t want to prolong the agony for her family.
Discussing the physical impact her drinking had on her body, she explained that her skin had turned translucent, her stomach bulged as her liver protruded and her hair began falling out, all while her weight dropped to 7st 13lbs.
The singer also noted the impact her drinking had on their children, who witnessed Michelle throwing up after binge drinking, and shouting in a drunken rage.
Her husband Hugh remarked that the turning point came after Michelle suffered a terrifying fit in bed, and checked into the Priory for rehab just four days later.
Hugh told the magazine: ‘She wouldn’t stop shaking and her mouth was drooling. That was scary and it really spooked her.’
The terrifying diagnoses prompted Michelle to check into rehab in April but long-term damage had already been done to her body from the excessive drinking, and her pancreas no longer functions so she will have to be on medication for the rest of her life to help her digest food.
Michelle previously admitted that she tried to quit on her own for five years and while every New Years Eve she would tell herself that she was quitting the booze, she would be back on it by midday on January, 1.
The star would down a litre of vodka and a bottle of wine on New Year’s Eve and would have to drink the next day to steady herself as she battled fear, nausea and pain as a result of her binge.
She decided she wanted to change her ways on New Year’s Day 2021 and sought help, with the performer now being nearly three years sober.
She told The Sun: ‘Every New Year, for at least the five years before I quit, I promised myself, and everyone else, that I’d stop drinking.
‘I would swear I’d be sober for January — but by midday on the 1st I’d be drunk again, back on the Bellinis. I just couldn’t stop.’