WITH a tiny frame and a career built on perfect curves, Nicola McLean looks like the last person who needs fat jabs.
But here, the former lads' mag favourite, 44, reveals the tragic reason she resorted to using them – and the terrifying toll they took on her size eight body.
Nicola was just 11 when she started suffering from anorexia and bulimia, and was later diagnosed with body dysmorphia.
By the time she was 18, Nicola was a well-known glamour model, gracing The Sun's Page 3, with a huge fan base and went on to marry footballer Tom Williams.
But there was a price to pay – she found her figure was under constant scrutiny.
And even now, Nicola is subjected to horrific fat-shaming comments from cruel trolls intent on crushing her self-esteem – despite her tiny frame.
Years in the spotlight on shows like Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity might have hardened her to the nasty name-calling, but Nicola still gets ground down by it all.
By 2021, Nicola had had enough and decided to try weight loss jabs after being offered them for free on Instagram, but it was short-lived after she soon suffered excruciating headaches and was left bedbound.
Nicola revealed: "Every morning I'd inject myself with it, but after about a week of using it, I started to feel really ill.
"I was violently sick, and Tom was like, 'That is so odd for you', because I have got the strongest stomach you'll ever know from being bulimic for years.
"Then I started getting headaches, but I brushed those off. Tom kept saying, 'It's this skinny jab, ' but I would brush him off, too. I was obviously in denial. My weight was more important to me."
In the end, things got so bad her husband threw them away – but once again Nicola found herself being trolled despite being a size 8.
While the jab didn't work out for her, Nicola believes it's little wonder more and more people – including her celebrity pals – are turning to weight loss jabs like Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic.
In fact, an estimated 1.5million people in the UK alone have turned to the jabs, tired of yo-yo dieting and hours spent sweating in the gym with little reward on the scales or in the mirror.
Nicola says: "Let's take away celebs and people on telly, my mum's friends, more of them are on them than not on them, it is wild.
"I feel like we've always faced trolling. I'm a size eight, when I'm on telly and I read the comments it's like, 'She's let herself go, she's fat'.
"Take away the massive boobs that might make me look bigger than I am, I am quite a small person. I'm 44, do you want me to look like I did when I was 19? It's impossible."
We're seeing a lot of celebrities… that are tiny, and they're saying it's the gym, and I can tell you it's not
Nicola McLean
The online abuse was so bad that Jeremy Vine show regular Nicola, deleted her X, formerly Twitter, account to escape it.
She says: "The trolling is horrific. I was reading the most hateful comments. I'm not putting myself up for that. I deleted it about six or seven years ago, and I've never gone back on. That's a hateful platform.
"When you do a TV show, you're going to get hate, it's not kind, I get offended, but I'm quite realistic.
"I live quite a normal life, I don't get caught up in celebrity or fame, I can sort of say, 'You did look bad there' or, 'You look great there' and they're just being a b***h, it's hard but I'm quite realistic."
Bullima battle
From a young age, mum-of-two Nicola wanted to look like Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson and eventually had a boob job to replicate the busty US star.
Despite her husband Tom, 44, reassuring her she is beautiful, she still struggles with what she sees, particularly her thighs and boobs.
Nicola's eating disorder has exhausted her mentally and physically over the years.
How common are eating disorders in the UK?
BETWEEN 1.25million and 3.4million people in the UK have an eating disorder, research suggests.
Most eating disorders develop during adolescence and are most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 40, though they can affect anyone at any age.
Around 10 per cent of people with an eating disorder have anorexia, and about 40 per cent have bulimia.
The rest of sufferers have binge eating disorder or OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder).
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among psychiatric disorders.
The earlier someone gets help, the better their chances of recovery.
Hospital admissions for eating disorders have increased 84 per cent in the last five years, according to The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Source: Priory Group
In 2010, seven months after the birth of her second son, Striker, she weighed under six stone.
She has bravely written about the impacts of the illness, from being unable to enjoy a hot cup of tea due to damaging her oesophagus through vomiting, to her periods stopping many years ago and never returning.
Such is the toll it's taken, Nicola previously said she'd give a year of her life to rid herself of the internal misery.
Jab nightmare
Nicola is not the only one to have an adverse reaction to fat jabs.
There have been reports of extensive hair loss, depression, diarrhoea, stomach issues, and even accounts of damage to internal organs.
On top of this, Mounjaro prices recently soared with a low dose more than doubling from £122 a month to £247.50, and the highest dose (15mg) jumped from £122 to £330.
The sudden increase left those reliant on the jabs stockpiling supplies, fearful they would no longer be able to afford them.
Nicola's rough ordeal made her swear off jabs for good, though she is aware that, for many, their purpose is crucial.
She says: "I am pro jabs if you need them, If you're suffering from an eating disorder and it's stopping the food noise, if you have an addiction, but if you're just doing it to be skinny I think we're getting back to the 90s when Kate Moss famously said, 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'. I worry about that."
Not all jab-taking celebs are secretive about their weight loss methods.
Big names like Amy Schumer, Sharon Osbourne and Serena Williams have all spoken out about using the medication to aid their slimming – sharing both the good and bad of their experiences.
Sharon lost 42 pounds but said she "got a bit too thin" and suffered from nausea, while Amy's time on Ozempic was short-lived due to sickness interfering with her home life.
Tennis ace Serena hit back at claims that the jabs are a shortcut and cheating, insisting that nothing else could get her to where she needed to be.
For Nicola, honesty is key to stopping a new generation of young girls growing up fixated on unrealistic beauty standards.
She says: "As long as we're having the conversation and people are honest about it. We're seeing a lot of celebrities, I won't name names – I like those celebrities – that are tiny, and they're saying it's the gym, and I can tell you it's not.
"We need to be honest so young girls are not looking at these people thinking it's normal to be this size."
Nicola spoke to The Sun on behalf of www.whichbingo.co.uk/
Getting help for an eating disorder
If you think you may have an eating disorder, see a GP as soon as you can.
A GP will ask about your eating habits and how you're feeling, plus check your overall health and weight.
They may refer you to an eating disorder specialist or team of specialists.
It can be very hard to admit you have a problem and ask for help. It may make things easier if you bring a friend or loved one with you to your appointment.
You can also talk in confidence to an adviser from eating disorders charity Beat by calling the Beat helpline on 0808 801 0677.
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