Tina Malone displayed 'belly' in Celebrity Big Brother to get free gastric band surgery
Tina Malone kept showing off her "belly" on Celebrity Big Brother in 2009 to attract the attention of surgeons so she could get free gastric band surgery.
Tina Malone deliberately flashed her "belly" on Celebrity Big Brother to get free gastric band surgery.
The 62-year-old actress took part in the 2009 series of the then-Channel 4 social experiment show when she was a size 32, and Tina wanted to attract the attention of surgeons while in the programme's house so she could be fitted with the adjustable, fluid-filled silicone band - which restricts food intake - for free to shed her then-weight.
Tina told the Daily Star: "We've all got flaws. I went in there thinking, I'm huge. I thought, well, if I show my belly off enough, someone will come along and give me gastric band surgery.
"Maybe they’ll say how bad my teeth were, and they can get fixed. And it worked. So, there you go."
In 2010, Tina lost 12 stone and slimmed down to a size six after she had her gastric band fitted.
And in the years after her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother - in which she was the second housemate to be evicted from the house - Tina has had operations to remove the excess skin left around her stomach area due to her weight loss.
The Shameless star - who has also had skin removed from her arms, neck and thighs, and work done on her face - has not had anything else done recently since her husband, army veteran Paul Chase, took his own life in March 2024, aged 41, after a long struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
However, Tina would love to have some more work done in the future, including Botox - a non-surgical treatment which smooths out wrinkles.
She said: "I would like the teeth done again, but I can’t justify or afford it at the moment.
"But also, I would like some fillers, some Botox, which I haven't had since before Paul died. In fact, it was probably two years before Paul died.
"Since Paul died, I don't even get my hair done, unless it's a photoshoot or something. I don't even get my roots done. I don't get my eyebrows done. I don't even get my beard done [laughs].
"So yeah, maybe I should."
However, Tina - who has a 12-year-old daughter called Flame with Paul, as well as a 44-year-old daughter named Danielle from a previous relationship - looks after herself by exercising regularly.
She said: "What I have done this year, though, is exercise regularly. For me, it’s not about hitting the gym. I’d rather do yoga, go for walks, or get out on the field across the road. And more than that, it’s about doing it together - me and Flame.
"Swimming, cycling, whatever it is, it’s time we share. That’s what matters.
"Even if you’re just kicking a ball around in the park with your little ones, that’s still half an hour of exercise and fresh air."
