U.K. Gov't Healthcare System Pays for Woman's Breast Implants Because Being Flat Chested Allegedly Caused Her Emotional Distress

A British woman hoping to become a model was so upset about being flat chested that she convinced doctors it put her in a state of emotional distress. Their response was to allow her a $7,260 operation for breast implants paid for by the U.K.'s publicly funded heathcare system.

Josie Cunningham after her operation. (Photo: Facebook)

Speaking with the tabloid newspaper The Sun, Cunningham, who received 36DD implants in January, said the following about her previously 32A self:

“My GP referred me for the operation because I wasn’t just flat-chested — I didn’t have any boobs whatsoever.

“I could never go on holiday as I lived in terror of ever being seen in a bikini and could never set foot outside without a padded bra.

“The doctors said they’d never seen anything like it and believed me when I burst into tears and told them it was ruining my life.”

Watch Cunningham's interview with the Sun:

But later she admits that she wasn't actually emotionally distressed about being flat chested:

“I was never depressed about my flat chest and wasn’t teased at school about it.

“I just got emotional when I was explaining to my GP that I felt I couldn’t live a full life the way I was — and he agreed to refer me for implant surgery."

The mother of two told the Sun that now that she has the body she wished for, she will leave her children with her parents to go to London to pursue her career as a model. Specifically, model, singer, TV star, jack-of-all trades Katie Price is referenced as her idol.

“I want the world to see the new me and want money and fame just like Katie," Cunningham told The Sun.

"I can’t thank the NHS enough for giving them to me," she said later.

Naturally, there are those who are upset at the taxpayer-funded healthcare system's granting the woman breast implants.

“This is a waste of NHS cash and taxpayers will be stunned that they have been landed with the bill," Matthew Sinclair with TaxPayers Alliance told The Sun. “The NHS is there for people with serious medical needs, not as a means of helping wannabes who fancy a career in modelling. NHS bosses must not allow the system to be manipulated by people wanting cosmetic surgery merely to enhance their career prospects.”

A spokesperson from the hospital where the operation was performed pointed out that hospitals themselves do not decide on what operations will be funded or not. Andrew Bannister with St. James’s Hospital also said that cosmetic procedures are generally not covered, but there are, occasionally, "exceptional circumstances."

In her video interview, Cunningham said she was accepted for surgery because the doctor said she had no breast tissue at all.

Although several U.K. cities are reported to be trying to save NHS funds, the Sun also included several other instances where surgeries like gender reassignment and weight control have been allowed.

Last year, TheBlaze reported public New York school teachers had cosmetic surgery services included in their insurance plans for 30 years.

Read more of the Sun's story about the taxpayer funded breast implants here.

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(H/T: Gawker)