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'YEAR OF HELL'
I’ve had my breast implants out after health woes… but I don’t like not having my boobs, reveals Jess Impiazzi
She's also thrilled about a possible return to a hilarious mockumentary series
BRAVE Jess Impiazzi says she has been through a “year of hell” after twice being rushed to hospital while dealing with her split from Jermaine Pennant and needing to have her breast implants removed.
The ex-glamour model, who ended her two-year relationship with the former footballer in December following him having a night in Ibiza with a dominatrix, admits: “I don’t like not having my boobs.”
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Jess, 35, had her breast implants removed in October, fearing they were connected to her autoimmune condition lupus, which causes skin rashes and tiredness — and she is still trying to adapt to her new figure.
In an exclusive interview, she revealed: “I got so used to them and it’s taken a lot for me to get used to not having them.
“It’s scary, especially for self-confidence. That’s why I had them done in the first place.
“There are so many women who have had to have this procedure either for the same reason as me or for breast cancer, and I’m just trying to be confident with it.
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“There are so many groups online where women build each other up. We’ve got to stick together.
“And I know it was the right decision for my health.
“I’d had a ruptured implant on my old boobs and had them redone, and I think that it also contributed to me getting sick.
“There were so many factors which would end up giving someone autoimmune symptoms so I decided to remove them.
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“I’ve had implants since I was 18, so for me it’s a big change and I’m still trying to get used to it. I’m just listening to my body.”
Jess, who has reinvented herself as an actress by starring in shows such as BBC crime drama Strike, has managed to remain upbeat despite her problems.
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The actress ditched Jermaine, 41, after he spent the night with an adult entertainer on a boozy Ibiza stag do at the same time Jess was undergoing IVF treatment to start a family.
The former Liverpool and Stoke star moved out of her Surrey home at the beginning of the year.
Jess said: “I just think the best way to move forward with that is to always heal, forgive, let go and carry on with your life as best you can.
“It’s about focusing on all the positive things in your life, which is what I did.
“With any loss or break-up you have to focus on yourself.
“There will always be things in life that will throw you off course— there are always going to be challenges, but it’s about pulling yourself together and getting back to doing what you love.”
With her personal life unravelling, Jess’s health took a turn for the worse.
She was appearing in panto in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, and was rushed to hospital twice with a suspected blood clot in her right lung.
She was eventually diagnosed with a viral infection and discharged.
Jess said: “During panto I ended up in A&E, which was really scary.
“I’d been prescribed steroids to keep my lupus at bay but they impact your immune system, so I had to be really careful.
“I caught some kind of chest infection. My resting heart rate went through the roof and I was sent to A&E.
“Luckily I was able to carry on with the show and didn’t miss one performance, which I’m really proud of.
I’m so proud to have got through it, despite my health problems
Jess Impiazzi
“It was my first theatre show since I was 17. I was so nervous, but after that first show I got that feeling in my stomach.
“It wasn’t fear any more, and it meant so much to be back on stage.
“And I’m so proud to have got through it, despite my health problems. The cast and crew were all so supportive and really helped me.
“When I look back I still can’t believe I did it, especially with everything that was going on.”
But Jess has bounced back and now feels healthy and happy. She is even dating again.
She said: “Everyone was saying to me, ‘You’ll meet someone when you least expect it’, but I didn’t want to meet anyone ever again.
“That always seems to be the way, though — when you’re not looking, someone comes into your life.
“There is someone who has put the smile back on my face.
“I’m seeing my friends more and everything is falling into place, which I couldn’t have expected in a million years. I feel like I’ve got a really good balance going on and I couldn’t be happier.”
“With her health improving, Jess hopes to secure her next big acting role, after impressing viewers of the JK Rowling drama Strike in 2022.
She said: “When I got sick my acting took a bit of a back seat.
“It was a shame, because after Strike I was hoping to build on that momentum. But I’m back now auditioning.”
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And she is also excited about the possibility of returning to Prime Video’s Covid mockumentary Keep Calm & Carry On.
The comedy came out in 2022 and also starred Harriet Thorpe — AKA EastEnders’ Elaine Peacock.
Jess said: “I had such a great time filming Keep Calm & Carry On. We’re just waiting for the second series to be green lit.
“I really am excited about the next few months. There’s been a lot of positive changes in my life.
“My mindset is so focused on all the good stuff that it’s now outweighing a troublesome few years.
“I’ve also got quite a few things in the pipeline.”
Putting her recent upheavals behind her, Jess jumped at the chance in February to help Emergency Ukraine, an initiative to deliver medical supplies to the war-torn nation.
She said: “I’d never been invited to do anything like this before, and with everything that I’d gone through I knew it was something I had to do.
‘People help strangers – that gives me hope’
“We drove through the Channel Tunnel to France and then through Germany before reaching Poland and on to the Ukraine border.
“We were seeing young men come in from the front line and all the buildings that had been blown up.
“You see these things on the television but you’re almost disconnected from it. When you’re there, it really hits home.
“I had goosebumps every night and you’d hear the air raid sirens go off.
“But what I did notice was how resilient the people of Ukraine are.
“The sirens would be going off and yet there were children skipping down the street as if it was nothing.
“It’s heartbreaking what’s going on in those moments of real tragedy — that’s when humanity comes together.
“People just want to help strangers and that gives me hope. It’s something that I will never forget and I am so glad that I did it.”
What I did notice was how resilient the people of Ukraine are
Jess Impiazzi
She added: “It was a life-changing experience and gave me time to reflect on my own life. It felt like I’d done something good.
“When we got to the hospitals and the doctors came out, they were so relieved to see what we had brought.
“It was things like catheters, wheelchairs, drips, needles — everything they were running out of.
“It made me feel valued that I’d done something to help other people.
“The whole experience gave something back to me as well.
“But my mum has made me promise never to do anything like it again.
“She was so worried and wouldn’t talk to me while I was out there because she’d really not wanted me to go.”
Jess’s mother Debbie, 62, went blind when she was 47 from a rare genetic disorder and now the actress is also looking forward to continue helping Guide Dogs UK.
I haven’t been able to do much these last few months because of my health
Jess Impiazzi
She became an ambassador for the charity after her mum lost her sight and has raised funds for it over the years.
Jess said: “I’m hoping to get myself fit enough to run some marathons for the charity.
“It’s something that is close to my heart, so to be able to get back to fundraising for them would be incredible.
“I have run three half-marathons for them and abseiled down the side of London’s Leadenhall Building.
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“Sadly, I haven’t been able to do much these last few months because of my health.
“So to be able to get back out there doing stuff like that again would be amazing.”