OK Magazine

Michelle Heaton
Liberty X

Michelle Heaton opens up on her mastectomy and hysterectomy recovery: ‘Emotionally it’s a lifetime’

From: OK Magazine Online

Michelle Heaton recently took a trip to Bali’s Bliss Sanctuary for Women following a “turbulent time” health wise.

Michelle recently took some time out at Bali’s Bliss Sanctuary for Women. (Image: Bliss Sanctuary for Women)

Michelle Heaton recently jetted off to Bali, to a luxury women’s only sanctuary, to enjoy the benefits of a sun-soaked getaway involving a whole host of back massages and yoga.

The former Liberty X star, 40, looked sensational as she shared various shots of herself in a white bikini at the Bliss Sanctuary for Women – a celebrity favourite which has been visited by Vicky Pattison and Michelle’s friend and presenter Hayley Sparkes, who she went on the trip with.

The stunning mum-of-two decided to take the trip to the tranquil wellness retreat to benefit from some relaxation, following a “turbulent time” health wise and to recover from past trauma.

The 40-year-old showed off her amazing figure during the trip, where she benefited from yoga and massages. (Image: Bliss Sanctuary for Women)

Speaking to OK! online exclusively, Michelle told of her reasons to take the break. She said: “It’s been turbulent health wise and I’m not one for taking time out for myself because there’s always stuff that I’ve got to do and life is hectic.

“It was just about having time for me so that’s why I wanted to do it and to be honest I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was until I got there.”

Michelle, who underwent a mastectomy in 2012 and hysterectomy in 2014, described being “enlightened” by the blissful trip.

At the Bali-based Bliss Sanctuary for Women she benefited from yoga sessions and spent hours getting massages. The sensational spot includes various things in its package, such as a room with oversized beds and amenities, personal drivers and all meals cooked for you.

Michelle said: “The first day I went a bit all out and realised after three hours of massages maybe I took it too far. You can do yoga every morning from seven o’clock and the food is specially prepared as you go. I’d never been looked after before like that. I can’t remember the last time anyone made me a cup of tea!”

Michelle revealed that “hormonally mentally and emotionally, its a lifetime” as she discussed her mastectomy and hysterectomy recovery. (Image: Bliss Sanctuary for Women)

Speaking about her mastectomy and hysterectomy, the singer opened up on her recovery period, saying: “The body changes all the time. What I was taking about six years ago when I had the hysterectomy might not work as well now so it’s time to shift.

“Recovery was, I suppose, within the first couple of months aesthetically, but hormonally, mentally and emotionally it’s a lifetime, so I just needed to understand that what happened happened and that it’s OK to say ‘that’s s**t’ rather than ‘it’s fine’.” [sic]

She continued: “I suppose I’ve learnt to say to myself that I’m OK if I feel a bit self-indulgent because it was s**t.” [sic]

“I now have to put four pounds in the swear box at home,” she joked.

The star, who married her husband Hugh in 2010, also spoke out about her anxiety and how the retreat aided with reducing it.

Michelle said: “You can’t always fix a situation that’s uncontrollable and I think I need to learn how to not be so anxious in situations that I can’t control but I suffer from anxiety and I hate being late and I can’t handle being late for things so it’s about learning how to control that feeling when you can’t control it.

During her visit to the Bali retreat Michelle found a love for yoga and has since transformed her spare room into a yoga den. (Image: Michelle Heaton / Instagram)

“It was definitely more of a chilled trip and I suppose yoga has never been something I’ve been interested in but because it was there, I did it every day and I’ve just changed one of my rooms into a little yoga haven because, I don’t know, I got enlightened by it a little bit and it’s not about necessarily taking an hour a day and doing meditation but just two or three minutes is better than nothing.”

Michelle described the stunning retreat that she stayed at, saying: “It’s so different and it’s effectively a villa with five bedrooms and there’s three of them in Bali but I only went to one of them. And it’s solo travellers predominantly although two of the rooms can fit two women in at a time.

“You can do anything from nails, hair, head massages and different types of massages and treatments. You can do yoga every morning and you can have five hours of massages a day if you wanted because it’s unlimited and it’s there.”

February 2020

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