Bobby Norris left ITV viewers in shock on Wednesday as he unveiled his new look after undergoing a facelift at the age of 39, following a decade of 'abusing fillers' and online trolling. The former The Only Way Is Essex star appeared on This Morning to reveal his revamped face after travelling to Turkey for surgery earlier this year.
Reasons for Surgery
Bobby, 39, spoke openly with hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard about his decision to undergo surgery despite his young age. He admitted he is 'still swollen' from the procedures, which took place in March and included a neck and face lift as well as a lower blepharoplasty. The surgeries involved lifting, tightening, and repositioning muscles and skin on his face, neck, and around his eyes to create a more youthful appearance.
Explaining his motivation, Bobby said that 'abusing fillers' for ten years left his skin 'like a deflated balloon'. He told Ben and Cat: 'I was really abusing fillers, and for a ten-year window. I was going every 12 weeks... Skin is about elasticity and I'd stretched it, it's like filling up a balloon for ten years and then one day trying to pop the balloon, it's going to be stretched out and baggy.'
The Impact of Fillers
Bobby elaborated: 'There was just nothing subtle about it and it's so important for people to realise, although fillers aren't permanent it's not a surgery, there's always a line you can cross. Skin is about elasticity and I'd stretched it, it's like filling up a balloon for ten years and then one day trying to pop the balloon, it's going to be stretched out and baggy. I was like a space hopper, so by the time I removed them all, there wasn't going to be a cream on a market that was going to get me there.'
He also mentioned health problems last year, recounting a doctor's warning: 'We've got a specialist here... You could be dead in twelve hours.' This led him to reflect: 'At my age you don't expect to hear that, and I thought, we all have these age things in our heads and I thought, why am I waiting for my 40s to correct something [I want to do]. I'm waiting for my 40s but tomorrow ain't guaranteed, and do what makes you feel better.'
Defending His Decision
Bobby defended sharing his recovery on social media, stating: 'There are a lot of people, and no tea, no shade, that aren't open about it. I just don't believe in lying to people who have followed me and watched me for 15 years because it's just not achievable through honey and oatmeal scrubs. We all know certain people who stand on a red carpet and go, "eight hours sleep, two litres of H20 and a honey and oatmeal scrub" and you think, "darling, don't lie to people".'
Recovery and Regrets
Not shying away from the recovery process, Bobby admitted it had been in 'discomfort' for a period and relied on 'pain relief'. When asked by Ben if he worries about having 'regrets' later, Bobby hit back: 'I had no option where I'd stretched [the skin]. When we went into lockdown [during coronavirus], ITV were playing a lot of old TOWIEs - and it's like looking through a photo album and it was a decade of my life, different nose, different teeth. Over the course of a few weeks, I could see what trolls had been saying for years, and you don't notice subtle things about yourself when you're changing them.'
He added: 'For me, I thought, I wanted to remove all my fillers but I had crossed a line so, I can't really regret having the face lift because this is almost corrective of the abuse I had given myself. It's never I'm following a fashion with my things, I'm almost correcting my stupidity of abusing fillers.'
Future Surgery
Asked by Cat whether he felt he'd now 'done enough', Bobby refused to rule out more surgery: 'I know the right answer to sit here and say, and I'm not going to lie to you, it's impossible for me to say and I know the reality is, I probably will. I can't lie and say I wouldn't have any more. I don't know, I think body dysmorphia is kind of a thing... it's never something that I just rush into.'
Viewer Reactions
Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts. One wrote: 'What has he done?' Another commented: 'This is just sad. So young to get that done and don't want to be mean but just didn't need it.' A third said: 'Sorry, but this isn't normal. He's not even 40. There's no need for all this surgery.' A fourth asked: 'Why has he done that to himself?' while a fifth agreed: 'Oh Bobby what have you done, you're such a lovely man you didn't need this done.'
Earlier this month, Bobby shared new pictures of his swollen and bruised face with fans after undergoing more cosmetic surgery. In an Instagram video, his face was extremely swollen, with red and puffy eyelids, leaving him struggling to see. He said: 'I had a really bad night's sleep last night, didn't really sleep much. My eyes are very sore and dry today.'
Background
Bobby joined TOWIE in 2012 and became known for his friendship with Gemma Collins. In 2024, he shut down speculation about gender reassignment surgery after multiple cosmetic treatments transformed his appearance. He told followers: 'I've had upper left blepharoplasty, an upper eye lid surgery. I've had my buccal fat removed from my cheeks, I've had liposuction under my chin and 360 body liposuction.'
He previously admitted to 'falling down the rabbit hole of having fillers' after being offered free treatments during his time on TOWIE. Last year, he spoke about realising he had gone 'too far', saying: 'Sometimes you aren't aware of how you look until you see certain pictures or a paparazzi shot. I don't look like me anymore.'
Cosmetic surgery expert Dr Mo Hamed, who specialises in natural aesthetics, told Daily Mail: 'When Bobby started on TOWIE, he was very baby faced, given his young age, with minimal to no treatments. Throughout the years, he's had multiple cosmetic procedures including Botox, jawline filler, and cheek filler but now Bobby has taken his adjustments to the next level by undergoing surgical, non-reversible enhancements. He has recently spoken about having his buccal fat removed... But the longterm impact of losing your buccal fat pad can be disastrous because it can help to give the face a more youthful look as you get older.'
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
