Sam Smith reveals childhood bullying led to drastic move
English singer Sam Smith underwent liposuction as a teen to stop bullying.
Sam Smith is opening up about the effects of childhood bullying.
The 33-year-old, who uses the pronouns they/them, reveals they were just 13-years-old when constant teasing from other children forced them to undergo liposuction.
Smith opened up about the ordeal during an interview on Penn Badgley's 'Podcrushed' podcast.
"I had surgery on my chest when I was 13-years-old, because I had a growing chest," they said.
"There were all sorts of reasons why, but mainly, I was just getting so teased, I couldn’t go swimming in school, and... getting changed in the locker room was hell. So I got liposuction when I was 13-years-old.”
Smith joked that he was "chubby, round and pink" and was "addicted to sausage rolls". Smith spoke candidly about what it was like growing up as a queer child.
The 'Stay With Me' hitmaker says secondary school was "brutal" and they did experience "discomfort".
"I was so gay. There was no closet. I was just so obviously gay, and everyone knew before I did. So, secondary school, those first few years were crazy, because everyone was just calling me gay the whole time," they laughed.
"I was very dramatic, I was very sensitive, and I had loads of girlfriends around me. I was all the girls' best gay friend."
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Smith came out to their best girlfriend when they were 10. "Kept it a secret with her for a few years. In school, thinking I was gonna keep this secret, but everyone was just like, 'Gay boy.'"
Interestingly, kids seemed to have more of a problem with Smith's weight.
“My queerness was something that I could handle and could have a grasp on it, but my weight as a kid was the hardest thing for me in school and weirdly the thing I probably got teased the most about,” Smith said.
The singer jokes that the liposuction, which was a "nightmare" to recover from, was a waste because they "just love food".
Smith credits their "hugely supportive" parents for helping them navigate the period. "They just saw how much it was crippling everything about me."
Watch Smith's full 'Podcrush' interview on YouTube below.
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Main image credit: YouTube/Sam Smith (Stay With Me music video)