SHAUGHNA Phillips has bravely shown off the results of her Lipoedema surgery and says her legs were “abnormally large”.
The Love Island star, 26, took to Instagram to share side-by-side before and after photos of her pins.
Shaughna, who appeared on the first winter series of the ITV dating show, faced years of cruel bullying over the size of her legs, which left her feeling self-conscious and insecure.
But after her stint in the famous villa in January, Shaughna was told she was suffering from lipoedema – an abnormal accumulation of fat in the legs – and underwent liposuction in September last year.
Sharing the photos with her 1.5million Instagram followers, Shaughna told her fans she was “screaming internally” at the thought of posting the pics.
She revealed: “As a lot of my followers will know, I was diagnosed with a condition called Lipoederma after appearing on Love Island. Before being on the show my BIGGEST insecurity was my abnormally large legs that were out of proportion to the rest of my body.”
Shaughna went on to reveal that it was because of the reality show and her fans messaging her that she was finally diagnosed with the condition.
She continued in the post: “Since having my surgery in September to treat the condition, it has been a long and painful recovery, and to be completely honest, I don’t think I quite saw a difference until I saw the picture on the left the other day.”
Shaughna’s joy at the results could practically be heard as she gushed: “I can’t believe how different my legs look today, I can’t even believe they are my legs (I have an actual visible calf muscle!).”
Fans of the reality star were thrilled for her and rushed to heap praise on the compliments.
One wrote: “u look STUNNING”
“You were beautiful either way you don’t deserve the hate,” added another.
While a third enthused: “Thank you for bringing awareness to the condition!!X”
Following her stint in the famous villa, Shaughna discovered she was suffering from lipoedema and made arrangements to have liposuction.
Shaughna told HOAR: “My legs had been my biggest body hang up since I can remember.
“It has been the one thing I have always said I would want to change about myself.”
Shaughna, who worked for Lambeth Council in London before finding fame on the ITV2 dating show, continues: “I’d be going to the gym six times a week, and even though I got down to 9st 6lb and a size six on the top half, my legs would stay at a size 14.
“I was killing myself doing these workouts.”
“When I went on Love Island, I spent lots of time crying to the therapist.
“I was surrounded by these lovely looking girls, and I felt like the show’s box-ticking fat girl.
“I would get constant bruising on my legs, and they would be so painful but I had no idea what it was.
“When I came off the show I had all these messages asking if I had been diagnosed with lipoedema — I had no idea what it meant but it was a breakthrough for me.
“It’s scary to think that had I not found out about my condition, and intervened when I did, I would’ve just been getting progressively worse, and in pain as well.”
Treatment options are limited for the condition, but liposuction can be a permanent option that will remove the fatty deposits.
