The Hills star Heidi Montag has finally revealed the real reason behind her decision to undergo so much plastic surgery, confessing that her desperation to change her appearance was prompted by cruel comments from internet trolls.
Heidi, 32, who rose to fame at the age of 19 after appearing on the MTV reality series, which she has now returned to as one of the stars of it reboot, admits now that she regrets the drastic procedures, and wishes she had waited until she was older before making such ‘life-changing’ decisions.
‘I was just really self-involved at the time – like so many young people – but I was also on TV where every perceived flaw is amplified. I think I looked in the mirror a little too much,’ Heidi told Cosmopolitan.
Before and after: Heidi Montagm pictured left in 2006 and right recently, says her decision to undergo drastic plastic surgery was prompted by cruel comments from internet trolls
‘I was too young’: In 2009, Heidi, who is now 32, infamously had ten surgeries in one day including nose and breast augmentation
Self-involved: Heidi, pictured in 2006, regrets ‘looking in the mirror too much’ and reading negative comments about herself which drove her to plastic surgery
F cup: Heidi, pictured in 2010, later had a breast reduction to reduce an earlier procedure to a C cup
Before being cast in the show along with then-friend Lauren Conrad, Heidi recalled being ‘very confident’ growing up, however, after becoming a household name, the ‘comment sections and negativity and hate on the internet’ began to mount.
And it was dealing with that deluge of abuse and criticism every day that pushed Heidi to want to take drastic action to change her appearance once and for all – a move that left her family and friends stunned.
When a then-23-year-old Heidi revealed her new look to her mom Darlene and older sister Holly at their home in Colorado on The Hills in 2010, she said, ‘I do want to look like Barbie.’
She then tearfully broke down as her mom told her that she hopes the results of the surgeries ‘fade away’ because Heidi was ‘much more beautiful before’.
Speaking about his wife’s surgeries, Heidi’s husband and The Hills co-star Spencer Pratt, 35, said, ‘I was there for every second, so I know all about that journey.’
‘Heidi thought people would stop criticizing her if she got surgery,’ Spencer added.
Then and now: Heidi’s husband Spencer Pratt said the reality star, pictured left in 2006, and right last month, thought people would ‘stop criticizing her if she had surgery’
Confrontation: Heidi broke down when revealing the result of her surgeries to shocked mom Darlene in an emotional scene on The Hills in 2010
Perspective: Heidi opened up about her plastic surgery regrets in an episode of The Hills New Beginnings
‘Everything she did came from people criticizing her in the comments on Us Weekly and People Magazine. She brought printouts of what the trolls and haters said to the doctor and said, “Can we do something about this?”‘
Former BFFs: Heidi and then-best friend Lauren Conrad, pictured in 2006, rose to fame on The Hills
A distraught Heidi told Darlene, ‘You have to realize what I’ve been through. I’ve been through so much pain. This is what I chose and there’s nothing that I can take back.’
Spencer, who has a one-year-old son named Gunner with Heidi, revealed that at the peak of the show’s popularity, plastic surgeons would offer his wife ‘free’ procedures to ‘fix’ areas she was concerned about.
‘People always ask if Heidi regrets it, and I think at this point it’s like, it is what it is,’ Spencer said.
Heidi maintained that she is ‘not against’ plastic surgery, but urged fans of the show to not take any cosmetic procedures lightly.
‘Everyone always shows you the before and after pics. They don’t show you how devastating the recovery is,’ Heidi stated. ‘I don’t regret a lot of my enhancement, but plastic surgery isn’t something that should be glorified. Take it seriously.’
The 5’2″ reality star previously recalled hitting rock bottom after she infamously had ten plastic surgeries in one day.
Young love: The long-term couple, pictured here in 2006, became jointly known as ‘Speidi’ as they became inseparable on the show
New Beginnings: The Los Angeles-based couple are back for The Hills reboot with their one-year-old son, Gunner
In 2009, Heidi had a chin reduction, brow lift, a second nose job, her ears pinned back and a second breast augmentation, among other surgeries, under the supervision of Dr. Frank Ryan (since deceased).
Complications from the surgery almost killed her, as she recalled to PAPER magazine that she ‘died for a minute’ on the operating table.
‘My security guards called Spencer and told him, ‘Heidi’s heart stopped. She’s not going to make it.’ Spencer thought he lost me,’ Heidi told the outlet. ‘With that much surgery, I had to have 24-hour nurse care and Spencer didn’t want to leave my side. I was at a recovery center and had Demerol to deal with the pain because it was so extreme.’
At the time of the interview, Heidi added that ‘cutting yourself up’ is not something she’d recommend. After the life-threatening incident, she found herself at ‘rock bottom’ and had to re-evaluate what was important to her.