Baywatch star Nicole Eggert talked about her regrets over undergoing breast augmentation when she was just eighteen years old in a recent interview. The revelation comes in the months following her breast cancer diagnosis, adding a poignant layer to her reflections on body image choices made early in her career while filming Baywatch.
The actress, who is now 52, said that her decision was driven by feelings of inadequacy during the famous show’s filming. Eggert found that the requirements of the character clashed with her self-perception, which was further gratified by the attractiveness of her other co-stars, as she was thrown into a world of swimsuits, slow motion and seductive beach runs.
Eggert recalled her first reaction to the challenging filming schedule that included regular swimsuit scenes saying, “All the girls worked out and were super tiny and fit and I was like ‘Whoops.’ And the one-piece bathing suits were not flattering. I didn’t want to wear it at all.” She was unprepared for the emotional and physical toll of the role and felt uncomfortable and insecure regarding her appearance. She described her choice to have breast augmentation as a “stupid 18-year-old decision.”
In her chat with PEOPLE, she said, “I regret it now, of course. I look at all these younger girls doing it and think, ‘God, leave your bodies alone!’ But when you have to put on that one-piece and it’s like you’re so flat that it’s like pleating — you got pleats across the front…” she continues. “You’re like, ‘What is this?’ Nothing you can do. You can’t stuff it with anything. You can’t do anything.”