She made a name for herself as a top model after having breast implants years ago, but TV star Pete Evans’ wife has now revealed the surgery has become the “deepest regret of her life”.
Nicola Robinson had her implants removed last year after she discovered they had been leaking silicone and caused what has now been named ‘breast implant illness’.
Now she’s opened up on her hell alongside a series of other women on Channel 7’s Sunday Night show to raise awareness of the illness, as well as the possible side effects of having implants.
“When I think of how they used to look, the word ridiculous comes to mind,” Nicola admitted.
“It was the shame, I was ashamed of myself. But that’s a pointless thing to feel, it holds you in the past.”
She added: “I didn’t actually like them. I didn’t like how they felt, I didn’t like how they looked, they just weren’t me. And obviously I know 100 per cent too that they were making me sick and essentially ageing me, so it just made perfect sense to me that they had to go.”
While Nicola first vowed to remove her breast implants years ago, she eventually went ahead with the surgery in 2017 – and her husband was her biggest supporter throughout.
He sent a loving message to her on social media shortly before the operation, saying: “Sending all my love to this amazing woman. Can’t wait until we see each other again angel. Keep shining brightly.”
Nicola had begun suffering from illness and tiredness, but was told her implants hadn’t ruptured. However, a surgeon eventually had the scar tissue around her implants tested for silicone, which proved while the implant hadn’t ruptured – the silicone was still leaking out of them.
“So the implants themselves weren’t ruptured at all, but my surgeon agreed to get the scar tissue that he removed tested for silicone and sure enough it was riddled with it,” she explained.
“Which proved that even though the implants hadn’t ruptured at all, the silicon was still leeching into my body.”
Asked how she feels now, she said: “There’s so many advantages of not having two large bags attached to your chest.”
She’s not alone, and more women appeared on the show to reveal their own illnesses following botched breast implants.
Gina Stewart, 47, revealed she had her own implants to take her from a B cup to a double E previously. She’s since been dubbed the ‘world’s hottest grandma’, but asked about the reputation she’s built up on social media, she branded the nickname “ridiculous”.
Asked why she wanted to go so big, the mum of four and grandmother of one said: “I wanted to get my moneys worth!”
Gina ended up paying $10,000 for the operation, having first chosen to have them after suffering from bullying.
However, she began suffering sickness following her surgery, including fatigue and anxiety. She hasn’t been drunk for 10 years, but explained she now feels drunk “every day”, and also suffers from panic attacks and depression.
In fact, it got so bad she admitted she’s only left the house around 20 times in the last year.
While some of the women revealed they have recovered since, others – like Nicola – still suffer from the illness now.
Taking to Instagram shortly before the show aired, Nicola revealed it was an “honour” to join other women in speaking out to raise awareness of the breast implants illness.
“Feeling honoured to be able to share my own personal journey on @sundaynighton7 alongside inspirational women who also feel the importance of being open & honest about their experiences with breast implants & the very real consequences of such an invasive procedure!” She wrote.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlO0ovDnw6q/?taken-by=nicolarobinsonevans
“I let go of the guilt & the deep regret that I carried after naively choosing to pay someone to slice open my chest & insert two viral adjuvants inside of me, once I gratefully woke up over a year ago after undergoing the very intricate en-bloc explant procedure of removing them.
“I’ve also let go of the reasons as to why I chose to drastically alter my body in the first place, because that’s just not my story anymore, as I perceive all of those occurrences transpired ‘for’ me, not ‘to’ me.
“The detoxification of the numerous toxic ingredients that when combined are called silicone is very real & ongoing! I do still periodically experience BII (breast implant illness) symptoms, particularly tip to toe swelling (inflammation).
“However, in every moment I’m actively growing new, neural pathways, that are endlessly rooted in unconditional love, trust & acceptance rather than the fear based belief systems that I accumulated & used as a form of protection in the past.
“I feel it’s important to express the fact that I blame no one, not even myself for my choices & I’m candidly communicating my perception of breast implants with the pure intent for us all to choose self love over judgement.
“In a world filled with so much wonder filled love & awe, yet so much undeniable, heartbreaking affliction too, may we all feel our innate & eternal connection to all life & evolve with graceful, passionate compassion for ourselves & others.”
Nicola and Pete met in 2011 before getting engaged in New York in 2014. In a surprising step away from the limelight, they married in a private barefoot ceremony at their rural retreat in 2016, with Pete’s daughters, Chilli, 14 and Indii, 11, watching on.