Model, 31, who got a boob job to help her get ahead in the industry reveals the torment it has put her through and why she now desperately wants implants removed
- Shannon Hottes had breast implants as a teen to break into modelling industry
- Years later after being a Zoo and Ralph centrefold she developed side effects
- She was hospitalised four times and many days can barely leave her bed
- Now believes she has Breast Implant Illness and needs to have implants removed
A model who had breast implants to break into the industry now desperately wants them removed to end her 'silent agony'.
Shannon Hottes, 31, got the enhancements nine years ago and became a Ralph and Zoo magazine centrefold and Underbelly TV actress.
'I always thought that I had to have 'big boobs' to be successful, have that full look in my chest area to be more womanly,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
The surgery in Thailand took her size from a 10B to a 12DD and filled her with confidence as she got more modelling work.
Shannon Hottes, 31, got breast implants early in her career and became a Ralph and Zoo magazine centrefold and Underbelly TV actress
Years later she began getting a long list of debilitating and unexplained symptoms that put her in hospital four times and and sometimes in a wheelchair
But about four years ago the Gold Coast woman began getting a long list of debilitating and unexplained symptoms.
'Every day I feel as if my body is dying. It's like everything within me is slowly shutting down,' she said.
'I have been in silent agony with absolutely no explanation from any medical professional for why I am feeling so horrible, why I feel like I'm dying every day.'
Her side effects include chronic fatigue, brain fog, migraines, lapses in concentration, insomnia, nausea, and sharp chronic pain in her breasts.
Others included a tingling sensation in her arms and feet or her arms going dead, increased sensitivity to temperature, skin rashes, and difficulty swallowing and breathing.
The volunteer wildlife carer believes her breast implants are 'slowly killing her' and her only option is to get them removed.
She said she has experienced 31 symptoms associated with Breast Implant Illness, suffering from 17 of them on a daily basis.
Countless blood tests, heart monitoring tests, ultrasounds, MRIs, breast scans, and nerve tests were all inconclusive
Her side effects include chronic fatigue, brain fog, migraines, lapses in concentration, insomnia, nausea, and chronic pain
Ms Hottes said her unexplained illness got so bad she has been hospitalised four times since 2017 and visited six doctors.
Her first hospital visit in 2017 was the worst, and left her in a wheelchair for a week with no diagnosis.
'I started having intense pains in my back, chest and lower abdomen. It was that bad I couldn't walk,' she said.
'I was taken to hospital and underwent more tests than I can count, even was prepped for appendix surgery but the test results came back inconclusive.'
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Countless blood tests, heart monitoring tests, ultrasounds, MRIs, breast scans, and nerve tests were all inconclusive.
'I never wake up with energy, and what little energy I can muster is drained within two to three hours of light activity,' she said.
'Leaving the house is a challenge and by the time I've return home I'm so tired I spend the rest of the day on the couch.
'Every little thing is exhausting and brings on pain in my arms and legs, headaches, nausea and more.'
Ms Hottes (right) showed off her surgically-enhanced breasts in 2017 with her friend, former Bachelor contestant Joni Hodson
Ms Hottes said she has experienced 31 symptoms associated with Breast Implant Illness, suffering from 17 of them on a daily basis
Ms Hottes at the 2015 AACTA Awards where she provided some red carpet coverage for Vogue
Ms Hottes tried everything she could think of but nothing worked, until she realised from talking to other women that her breast implants could be the cause.
She now believes she has what has become known as Breast Implant Illness, a controversial concept not yet officially classified as a medical condition.
Thousands of women have decided to remove their breast implants after suffering similar unexplained symptoms.
Supermodel Chrissy Teigen, 34, last week announced she was having hers removed after having them installed when she was 20, but did not give a medical reason.
Earlier this month Ms Hottes had a new MRI of her brain that revealed inflammation in her head, mostly around her sinus mastoid.
'This is more inflammatory issues adding onto my long list of symptoms I have that have no prognosis,' she said.
'I am now at my wits end with this and my quality of life is at an all time low.
'For about four months I've been progressively getting worse and for the past month I have been unable to function for about 70 per cent of the day.'
Ms Hottes said after this she decided to take a 'leap of faith' and get her implants removed in the hope it would end her torment.
Having not worked in more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic she was short the $12,000 bill for the surgery, but managed to crowdfund $8,000.
After a last-minute cancellation, her surgery was moved up by two weeks and she will go under the knife on Wednesday.
Having not worked in more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic she was short the $12,000 bill for the surgery, but managed to crowdfund $8,000
The volunteer wildlife carer believes her breast implants are 'slowly killing her' and her only option is to get them removed
