Sam Smith Opens Up About Childhood Struggles with Weight and Bullying
Sam Smith shared their difficult experience with body image and bullying during childhood in a podcast interview with Penn Badgley on Podcrushed. When asked about challenges they faced growing up, Smith spoke candidly about weight-related teasing and social stigma.
Early Challenges with Weight and Identity
Smith explained that, while they managed to come to terms with their queerness after coming out as gay at age 10, their weight was the hardest issue to handle at school. They revealed,
“My queerness was something that I could handle and I could have a grasp on it. But it was my weight as a kid that was the hardest thing for me in school and weirdly the thing I got teased the most about.”
Impact of Bullying and Surgery
The relentless teasing led Smith to undergo liposuction on their chest at 13, supported by their parents. Smith said,
“I was just getting so teased, I couldn’t go swimming in school. Getting changed in the locker room was hell.”
Although the surgery helped, Smith described the experience as a “nightmare.” Despite being told the post-surgery chest bandage was only needed for a month, Smith wore it for over a year to gain special treatment from peers, stating,
“If I wore the bandage, it meant that I would get to the front of the lunch queue. Because everyone had to be sensitive about my chest. I’d just get first at lunch queue and I’d eat more and eat more and eat more. And so the surgery never really worked. Because I just love food.”
Summary
Sam Smith revealed how early bullying about their weight deeply affected their childhood, leading to surgery and ongoing struggles with body image despite efforts to cope.