Raven-Symoné has revealed that she underwent several cosmetic surgeries as a teenager, after her father encouraged her to do so while she was receiving criticism about her weight.
The That’s So Raven star said she had two breast reductions and liposuction done before she turned 18 in 2004.
Speaking on the latest episode of her and her wife Miranda Pearman-Maday’s podcast, Symoné recalled: “There was paperwork involved. My dad suggested strongly that I should get my breasts reduced.
“He was like, ‘So you don’t feel bad, is there anything that you want?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, if I get lipo, will people stop calling me fat?’”
She continued on The Best Podcast Ever with Raven and Miranda: “So I got a twofer. It was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all.”
Symoné also disclosed that, after her first breast reduction surgery, she suffered a seizure.
“I remember waking up and seeing everything… and then I just started to have this dry mouth and couldn’t breathe and went back under,” she said of the experience.
The Cheetah Girls star said she does not remember much else because she was “disassociating” from reality, but admitted that not knowing what caused the seizure “freaks her out a bit”.
She still went ahead with the second breast reduction. While she advised others who may be considering similar procedures to wait until they are fully developed before going under the knife, Symoné added that her decision to get breast reductions prevented her “t**ties reaching her ankles”.
The cast of "That's So Raven" pose for photographers at the Disney Channel press conference for the new television series at the Graciela Hotel on January 14, 2003— (Getty Images)
“I don’t know if I regret it because they grew back not to that big of a size,” she said.
Last year, Symoné credited her wife with helping her “kick sugar”, which led to her losing 40 pounds (approximately 18kg).
She told The View: “With [Pearman-Maday’s] help and guidance and love and fantastic cooking skills… she helped me kick sugar.
“I say ‘kick sugar’ because it is an addictive drug and I was addicted to it in wheat form, in regular form. And it’s out of my system.”
Raven-Symone (L) and Miranda Maday appear at the Los Angeles premiere of the Disney+ Music Docu-Special "Bono & The Edge: A Sort Of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman" at The Orpheum Theatre on March 08, 2023— (Getty Images)
Receiving bad news about her health from her doctor also spurred Symoné to take her weight more seriously, so that she could be around longer to spend her life with her wife.
“I want to be here for her as long as I can,” she said. “I found out some numbers at the doctor that were not pleasant for someone in my age bracket – or any age bracket, to be honest with you… She doesn’t want to take me to an early grave, and I want to make sure I am there for her in the best health possible.”
In July, Symoné called on people not to use diabetes medication Ozempic purely for weight loss, as it is “made for certain people”.
She opened up about her family’s history of pre-diabetes and diabetes, and said she is “more susceptible” to the disease if she is not careful about what she eats.
“So, I think it’s very important we understand certain medications are made for certain people – and to not take that away just for glamazon purposes,” she told E! News.
