'Plastic surgery freaks me out!' Victoria's Secret Angel Alessandra Ambrosio reveals how a botched ear pinning procedure put her off going under the knife

By Sadie Whitelocks

PUBLISHED: 11:04 EST, 13 December 2013 | UPDATED: 13:46 EST, 13 December 2013

Victoria's Secret Angel Alessandra Ambrosio has told how she is 'freaked out' by cosmetic surgery after a botched ear pinning procedure left her in severe pain.

The brunette beauty revealed to Net-A-Porter's The Edit that she went under the knife at the age of 11 because she dreamed of being a model and didn't like the way her ears 'stuck out'.

However, the doctor who she found in her hometown of Erechim, Brazil, had only carried out the surgery once before and the second attempt did not go as planned.

Natural beauty: Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio has told how she's 'freaked out' by cosmetic surgery after a botched ear pinning procedure left her in severe pain

Natural beauty: Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio has told how she's 'freaked out' by cosmetic surgery after a botched ear pinning procedure left her in severe pain

Recalling the harrowing experience, Ms Ambrosio, now 32, said: 'I was a guinea pig. The first few nights, it felt like someone had cut off my ears.

 

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'For a year, I had to go back for mini-surgeries. Doctors say they can fix them, but cosmetic surgery freaks me out now.'

In a bid to hide her ears, she now often wears her long hair down.

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Body insecurity: The brunette beauty, pictured here as a toddler, said that she went under the knife at the age of 11 because she dreamed of being a model and didn't like the way her ears 'stuck out'

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Child mode: Ms Ambrosio pictured around the time she underwent her botched ear pinning procedure

Running on the theme of body insecurities, the 5ft 9in model also opened up about weight gain after the birth of her first child, Anja, in 2008.

'People kept telling me that I would bounce back straight away, but a week after giving birth I still had that balloon belly,' she recalled.

'The first few nights, it felt like someone had cut off my ears. Doctors say they can fix them, but surgery freaks me out now'

'Before . . . if I gained one or two pounds I would just eat salad and it would be OK. But when I got pregnant . . . I really went for it with food. I gained 60lbs, so I had a lot to lose'

She said that with the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show looming, she felt under pressure to slim down and for the 'first time' in her life decided to diet.

'It was 1,500 calories a day as I was breastfeeding,' she said of the calorie-controlled meal-delivery service she signed up for.

As well as cutting her food intake Ms Ambrosio also started seeing a personal trainer six times a week.

Model Alessandra Ambrosio presents a creation during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Armory in New York 2011

Model looks: Ms Ambrosio is currently one of the Victoria's Secret Angels

And all of the hard work paid off, because after three months she was back on the catwalk strutting her toned stomach in a mix of lingerie.

Now back to her target weight, after having another child, Noah, in 2012, Ms Ambrosio keeps in shape by doing yoga three times a week, along with Pilates.

'When I got pregnant . . . I really went for it with food. I gained 60lbs, so I had a lot to lose'

With her failed cosmetic surgery experience as a child, she clearly prefers enhancing her body the natural way.

Ms Ambrosio, who currently lives in Los Angeles with her businessman fiance, Jamie Mazur, isn't the first star to regret dabbling in surgery at a young age.

When speaking about the breast implants she got at 19, Denise Richards said: 'I wish that I was confident enough with my body to not have had surgery.'

Carmen Electra, Courtney Love and Kourtney Kardashian have also expressed remorse about their nips and tucks.

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Is she really considered one of the world's most beautiful women because I'm sorry, I just can't see it.

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I think this woman is so overrated. Without makeup shes plain looking, she's far too skinny for her age and has disproportionately short boney legs. Hands down prefer Adriana.

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She is strange looking and her figure isn't all that. I'm surprised that she is considered hot enough to be an angel. Did she just have a baby in that VS runway shot?

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How harsh is that first face shot?

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she had plastic surgery at the age of 11 because she dreamt of being a model. This sounds ridiculous omg

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Well, so that's where her daughter inherited her ears from! I wonder what she will suggest to her when is at the age when her body will start to concern her...

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I think because of her bad experience, she will probably tell her daughter to embrace her body "as is".

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I like her, she's a model and gorgeous, but you can see she has a real intelligence about her. She's one smart cookie, has it all really.

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Bah, her ears were normal. I knew one girl who got an ear pinning procedure done and she needed it, her ears literally stuck straight out and she would get ear infections from the breezes because of course her ears sticking straight out sideways like that funneled every hint of air movement straight into her ear canals.

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Her daughter looks just like her when she was little! Look how she blossomed; gorgeous lady.

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Yeah yeah yeah. No way her forehead is that smooth because of "good genes"

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.....She's 32 now, and the pictures aren't dated so could be years old. She actually has fairly bad skin if you can tell what you're looking at, the concealer doesn't hide it. But people age differently depending on genetics, diet, etc... Some 15 year olds look 40 and some 40 year olds look 15 and plastic surgery is not always the reason why.

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