2017 has been the year of people altering themselves to the extreme in order to look like their fictional or non-fictional idols. There has been repeated stories about The Human Ken Doll and his desire to look like a plastic figurine, as well as a polish woman who is attempted to look like a real-life Barbie. However, this man who spent $25,000 trying to look like David Beckham, has issued a warning regarding the effects in can have on you.
Jack Johnson, a young man from the UK, spent years of his life trying to look like the infamous soccer player and fashion icon. Unfortunately for Jack, him and Golden Balls don't share much in common when it comes to appearance and he claims that his unsuccessful attempt to replicate the handsome looks of Becks led him to a suicide bid.
The man claims that he is now reversing his medical work and wants to speak out and warn others not to follow him down the route of extensive surgery.
“I tried to take my own life because trying to look like Beckham is a full time job and is not easy,” he said.
“Trying to look like Beckham nearly killed me and I don’t want others to make the same mistake.”
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Jack underwent multiple procedures in order to try and look like Beckham. He would have tan injections every month, as well as having lip, chin and cheek fillers, botox injected into his forehead and dental veneers.
The 21-year-old says that raising the money for the operations was a difficult task, he has to use his Disability Living Allowance, take out loans and borrow a substantial amount of cash from his brother. Due to the costs involved with the surgery, Jack is now $16,000 in debt and insists that he has learnt his lesson.
Jack rose to fame last year and appeared on multiple international news outlets. He says that he rise to fame led to him getting free liposuction, botox and lip fillers from clinics all over the UK.
"I’m not speaking out because I want notoriety or fame anymore - I’m genuinely doing this because I’ve come out the other side of it,” he said. “
When I was on This Morning Holly or Phil asked me if I was happy. I told them I was but really I wasn’t - I was in the worst place ever on the inside.”“
Jack felt so low on self-esteem that he tried to kill himself four months ago by overdosing on tablets. He was found by a friend and rushed to hospital.
After multiple sessions with a psychiatrist, Jack was diagnosed with body dysmorphia - a condition where a person spend the majority of their time worried about their appearance.
"I obviously don’t blame David Beckham, it’s not his fault,” said Jack.
“I was trying desperately to look like him and it nearly cost me my life.
“I feel like I’m in the best place ever now - and I really don’t want anybody to go through what I have.
“Nobody should ever aspire to look like celebrities to that extent, and I’m an example of that. You need to just be yourself.”
Well done to Jack for speaking out about his experience. With the growing trend in people altering their bodies to the extreme, hopefully more people like Jack will come forward to highlight the warnings and dangers involved.
