TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou has revealed that she "could have died" when she underwent a Brazilian bum lift.
Opening up about the controversial £3000 cosmetic procedure, which she combined with high-definition liposuction, Yazmin claimed she only realised after undergoing surgery in Turkey that it was dangerous.
She told New magazine: "I'll be honest, it was traumatic - I'm still sore to touch. I hadn't really seen how dangerous the procedure was until after I had it done."
The estimated death rate may be as high as one in 3,000 for the surgery - something Yazmin said she was unaware of when she signed up.
The procedure involves removing fat from other parts of the body - in Yazmin's case her stomach area - and injecting it onto the hips to create a trendy "hip dip" shape. This can occasionally go wrong, with fat entering the bloodstream where it can block blood vessels, causing complications such as strokes.
Yazmin said that while she had seen YouTube videos of what would happen when she went under the knife, she hadn't known too much about the potential complications.
"I didn't realise," she told the publication, admitting it was "really painful".
"I don't want people to get it done because they think I look amazing. People need to look into the risks, because I didn't."
Among the surprises for Yazmin was the fact she would have to wear a compressive body garment throughout her six week recovery to help her body heal from the operation.
The 26-year-old told New magazine she didn't regret the surgery.
Yazmin said: "It's very worrying. But there is a risk with every procedure you can have."
The reality star, who also admits to having surgery on her breasts and nose, has since showed off her new look in a series of smouldering Instagram shots.
There were plenty of behind shots as she lived it up in Dubai with boyfriend James Lock last month.
But Yazmin was forced to defend the couple's decision to head overseas while Essex was hit with Tier 4 regulations.
She told fans the two were there for work.
Said Yazmin: "Just so those of you know, me and James have come to Dubai because I am launching something very exciting here in the New Year, so I've had to come now to get everything set up and we will be keeping you posted."