Cat Burns, the singer and recent finalist on Celebrity Traitors, has announced the beginning of a “new life” following breast reduction surgery.
Burns, 25, shared online that she underwent the procedure after experiencing years of discomfort.
She expressed that the “amount of relief and happiness” she now feels is “overwhelming,” noting that she had struggled with her body image since the age of 12.
Sharing the news via her Instagram story, accompanied by a photo of herself in a hospital bed, the performer revealed she “had a big fat cry” upon seeing her mother, sister, and girlfriend.
“I’ve always struggled with my boobies since they arrived on my chest at like 12, they caused me so much pain when exercising and I deeply hated the oversexualisation it brought,” she explained.
“I tried so many different ways to work with my body and wear different bras etc but I thought while I’m young and healthy and by the universe’s grace [I] am able to go through with this surgery, I want to love my body going into the next part of my life!”
The London-based artist released her second album, How To Be Human, in October, which reached number five in the UK charts.
The album’s release preceded her elimination in the final episode of the celebrity edition of the BBC’s popular reality game show, Traitors. Comedian Alan Carr, also a Traitor, ultimately won the competition.
Burns confirmed that she was feeling “OK” following the operation, which she described as having gone “really well.”
“Today marks the start of my new life!” she declared.
Breast reduction surgery is sometimes available to individuals experiencing health issues related to breast size, particularly when other solutions, such as professionally fitted bras, have proven ineffective.
According to the NHS website, problems caused by having very large breasts include:
However, some women have been denied the operation for various reasons, including a body mass index (BMI) that is considered too high.
Last month, Gill Baird, owner of Cosmedicare and founder of St Ellens’ Hospitals, told BBC Scotland: “There are thousands of people waiting for surgery from before Covid and the NHS are only seeing the most extreme cases just now.”
Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) indicate that breast reduction was the second-most common surgical procedure in 2023-2024, following breast augmentation.
Burns joins a number of public figures who have openly discussed the benefits of breast reduction surgery.
In 2024, England rugby union player Rosie Galligan told BBC Sport: “If I didn’t have my reduction, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. Both on a confidence and physical level.”
She added: “Having the reduction is definitely one of the best things that’s happened for my sporting career and it’s definitely helped me get to where I am today.”
“I’ve embraced my boob journey, it’s something that’s now part of my sporting journey.”
US chat show host and actress Drew Barrymore mentioned on her own show last year that she was glad to have undergone a breast reduction as a teenager.
“I really love my body and the way it is right now,” she stated. “There’s something very awkward about women and their breasts because men look at them so much.”
“When they’re huge, you become very self-conscious. Your back hurts. You find that whatever you wear, you look heavy in. It’s uncomfortable.”
In a 2015 interview with Glamour, Modern Family actress Ariel Winter said that before her operation: “It started to hurt so bad that I couldn’t take the pain.”
Her comments alluded to not only physical pain, but also objectification.
“It made me feel really uncomfortable because as women in the industry, we are totally over sexualised and treated like objects,” she continued.
“Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet always had to do with, ‘Ariel Winter’s crazy cleavage!’, or, ‘Ariel Winter shows huge boobs at an event!’. That’s all people would recognise me by, not, ‘oh, she does great work on Modern Family’.”
Additional reporting by Kate Moore.
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