We often see female reality stars go under the knife on camera to have breast implants put in, but rarely do we see them on camera having them taken out. That’s exactly what Tamra Barney is doing during this season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, though. The 44-year-old revealed back in January that part of her motivation for having the procedure done was because of a breast cancer scare, but she reveals in her upcoming Dr. Oz appearance that it wasn’t just a breast cancer scare that motivated her, it was also actual cancer – cervical cancer.
“I have a long list of reasons why I had them removed,” Tamra says in the preview clip. “Starting with they always felt too big for my body.”
Then she added, “I had a little health scare. I was going through this divorce. I go to the doctor and I have lumps in my breasts and I had cervical cancer that had to be removed.”
“I really went through this like, ‘What is going on with my body? What is going on?’ I’m talking to my doctor about … doing a hysterectomy,” she says, “and I have lumps and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god. I needed to take over my body.'”
Tamra begins to get emotional at this point and Dr. Oz holds her hand before asking, “When they told you you had cancer, what went through your mind?” To which Tamra responded, “Panic.”
^ Dr. Oz poses with Tamra Barney and Eddie Judge
Tamra took to Facebook today to further elaborate on her cancer scare and her motivations for having her breast implants removed. She shared the following with a link to the preview video clip:
My breaking point! why I was finally convinced I needed to remove my implants after years of thinking about it. CANCER is a scary word and for the past year I felt like If I talked about “IT” I would give it life and it would come back. T…hanks to Dr Oz I felt comfortable to talk about it…as he put it “it can help others” I am going in for my second 6 month check up…fingers crossed!
Feeling lumps in your breast that need to be biopsied is scary and made me wonder if my implants could make it harder to detect breast cancer…and why take the chance?
Removing my implants was a way of me taking back control of MY body mentally and physically.
She added shortly after:
when I say there were many reasons I why I removed my implants I mean it. For the past 5 years I wanted to remove them but I did not have the confidence or courage to do it.
The best part of being in my 40’s is that I started to feel more secure with my self and accepting of my body. I now work hard to keep my self healthy with diet and exercise. I love the way I look without my implants and do N…OT miss them at all.
for those who keep asking me if I would have another baby the truth is NO. Doctor has warned me that even if I got pregnant at my age I probably would not be able carry a baby after the procedure I had…..we have talked about adoption and surrogacy if we feel we want more kids.
Though my RHOC fandom ebbs and flows a bit like everyone else’s, Tamra has consistently been near the top for me because she is very strong, yet willing to share when she feels weak. Yes she’s catty sometimes, and yes she can come across as vindictive (especially with her past issues with Gretchen), but Tamra almost always comes across as sincere, which can be refreshing in reality TV.
As I mentioned in our previous post about Tamra’s breast reduction, I commend her for the decision and for being willing to share it on the show. I think it’s a very important message for young women out there who might otherwise make irrational and unhealthy decisions about plastic surgery.
Oh, and Tamra looks super fine with her new and “unimproved” self I might add! (I’m sure Eddie Judge agrees.)
Here are a couple Tamra Barney before and after breast implant removal photos for comparison:
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Tuesday nights on Bravo at 9/8c. The Dr. Oz Show episode featuring Tamra and her RHOC cast mates discussing plastic surgery is scheduled to air on Thursday. (You’ll have to check local listings for times.)
