Sam Smith had liposuction at 13 after being mercilessly "teased" about their weight

Sam told Penn Badgley's Podcrushed podcast: "I had surgery on my chest when I was 13 years old, because I had a growing chest.

"There were all sorts of reasons why, but mainly, I was just getting so teased, I couldn't go swimming in school, and I couldn't - like, getting changed in the locker room was hell. So I got liposuction when I was 13 years old."

Sam recalled how their parents were "hugely supportive" of their decision to have surgery and, while it "worked", they wore the bandage for longer than necessary at school afterwards.

The 33-year-old star said: "(It was) just all a struggle with food and stuff. And the liposuction, it worked, but it was also a nightmare because they gave me a bandage.

"If I wore the bandage, it meant that I would get to the front of the lunch queue. So, I just kept this bandage on for nearly a year, and I'd be like, 'Oh, don't come close to me', and then I'd just get first at lunch... so the surgery never really worked because I love food."

Smith had claimed in 2019 that they were only 12 years of age when they had liposuction.

The Money on My Mind artist said: "I used to get my mum to write a note to the school when I was like eight, so I wouldn't have to go to swimming lessons. So it's something that's been in me forever.

"When I hit 11 years old, I went to the doctor's. I was so self-conscious that it was affecting my mood every day. I had liposuction, I was 12 years old."

Sam came out as gay more than a decade ago but previously claimed that fame and fortune hasn't protected them from homophobia.

They told ET Canada in 2023: "It [homophobia] is still around. I've had a few experiences over the years in London that haven't been nice and it's when they happen, it's just a reminder that I am in a successful position with my job and all this stuff, and it still happens to me.

"So, just you've got to remember what's happening to everyone out there. And it's a shame. But at the same time, things are moving forward... and we've got to look at the positives."