Michelle Heaton tries not to listen to people who compliment her body - because she is her own "worst critic".
Michelle Heaton
The 38-year-old singer is taking part in this year's 'The Real Full Monty: Ladies' Night', where she is joining other famous faces to strip down and perform a dance routine for cancer awareness, and the former Liberty X singer admitted talking about her physique with others on the show brought up painful feelings.
Appearing on ITV's 'Loose Women' alongside fellow 'The Real Full Monty' star Coleen Nolan, she said: "I forgot how I really feel about me. When we were talking all these feelings came out about how I'm feeling about my body.
"I think that it's really hard when you get a compliment from anybody or somebody says, 'But you look gorgeous and you're beautiful.' I just don't listen.
"I'm my worst critic."
Michelle - who has kids Faith, six, and Aaron, four, with husband Hugh Hanley - underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstructive surgery in 2012 to minimise her chances of developing cancer, and saw the show as therapy to help her with her changing body.
She explained: "I had an 85 per cent risk of breast cancer and 40 per cent risk of ovarian cancer.
"Five years ago I had the double mastectomy reconstruction and three years ago I had a total hysterectomy.
"That obviously plunges me straight into menopause. I can no longer have children. It's been a very turbulent six years.
"I haven't really had time to grieve or think about it. When we do things like this show, I see it as a bit of therapy and I get a lot out of it."
The brunette beauty initially turned down the opportunity to star in the female version of the programme - which airs on Thursday (29.03.18) - because of her nerves, but her husband Hugh convinced her to put on a brave face to inspire other women to feel confident.
She added: "Initially, I said no. And then I spoke to my husband and he said, 'You're crazy. You're trying to tell all these women out there to be confident, who may be the same as you, if you can't do it, and you've got confidence, then they can't be confident in their body and their scars.' So I was like, 'OK.' Then Coleen rang me and persuaded me even more."
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