Britain's Got Talent boob-flasher Fabia Cerra beat flesh-eating bug, drugs and abuse to become star

I'll show you all

Bizarre life of bonkers boob flasher who beat flesh-eating bug

WORTH HER WEIGHT: Fabia wowed judges

DISCO DIVA: Fabia at eight

DIFFICULT STAGE: As a kid

SVELTE 16: As the world disco champ

SHOCKED: Judge Amanda Holden

By Jennifer Wiley & James Desborough, 12/04/2009

BARMY boob-flasher Fabia Cerra has told the astonishing story of how she bust a gut to triumph over a life of abuse, drugs, suicide attempts, ballooning weight and even flesh-eating BUGS.

The voluptuous Britain's Got Talent dancer-who revealed a nipple on last night's telly show-is now hoping to be a HUGE success and win the competition.

She giggled: "It would make fantastic TV-Britain's Got Giant Boobies!"

But fabulous Fabia's telly triumph is a world away from her terrible past. Baring her soul to the News of the World, the 35- year-old strip-artiste revealed how she was:

ABUSED as child but went on to became a world disco champion, then . . .
SUFFERED severe bullying at school but scared tormentors off with a GUN, then . . .
TURNED to Class A drugs before finding love in the arms of her COUSIN, then . . .
DUMPED him after discovering he was already MARRIED, then . . .
BELIEVED she was Princess Margaret's daughter was sectioned, before she . . .
BOUNCED back by belly-dancing alongside a COBRA in Egypt, and then nearly. . .
DIED through contracting a superbug in hospital after childbirth. And finally, just six weeks ago, she . . .
SPLIT with her son's father over rows about her TV appearance.

She is now Britain's most famous stripper after getting through to the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent with a dance so risqué that ITV had to cover her 38DD boobs and ample behind with on- screen union jacks.

Fabia said last night: "Stripping in front of the TV cameras was one of the most difficult and hilarious things I've done.

"I stuck the nipple tassels on really hard because it's a family show. But my left one came off. I can honestly say it was a complete accident"

She went on: "I wasn't scared for the world to see my boobs-I was scared of what Simon Cowell and the other judges might say about my body.

"Then Piers Morgan said, 'You're my kind of woman,' and all the curvy girls in the audience went wild. That's when I knew I'd done something important. I felt liberated.

"This was something I did for me and all the other women out there with cellulite, stretch marks and tummies. This was my calling."

Fabia's love of dancing began when she was child and went to a local disco group to escape her troubles at home.

Her mum Carol, who died in 2001, was an alcoholic and would BEAT Fabia and her younger sister Lorenza with a 3ft stick.

And when Fabia was eight she was attacked and almost RAPED in a bedroom by one of her mum's "friends". Luckily Lorenza banged on the door just in time.

Fighting back tears, Fabia said: "I still have flashbacks, and to this day I can't sleep on the left side of the bed because that's the side I was attacked on.

"The worst thing was I told my mum and she didn't believe me. She wasn't really a great mum-she'd been abused as a child and as a result she drank a lot and took it out on us.

"I remember our neighbours looking after Lorenza and me, so Mum could go to the local pub and get DRUNK. She would have men round at our house on Friday and Saturday evenings.

"They were mainly one-night stands, often punters at the Blackbird pub in Blackbird Leys Road." Around the same time, a pal called Kelly took Fabia to a dance class. She went on to win a string of championship titles, and at 16 became the world disco-dancing champion. But girls at school bullied her because of her success.

Fabia reached breaking point and says she pulled a gun on them. She said: "They were constantly cruel. I then had a fit athletic body, a good face and good hair. It was pure jealousy-they wanted to be me."

She quit dancing to stop the bullying. But she said: "Once I gave up I felt like I died inside. Oh God, do I regret it."

Fabia was so traumatised by her childhood she turned to drugs when she was 17 and a trainee beautician.

She said: "I started having terrible flashbacks, especially with the E (ecstasy). And in 1994 the mental illness set in.

"I was diagnosed as being BIPOLAR at 30-but they thought it could be borderline SCHIZOPHRENIA. I was in and out of hospital and there were times when I wouldn't open the door to my home for six months. I didn't know what was happening to me. I was suicidal many times."

Her anti-depressant pills caused her weight to balloon, and she is now 15st 9lb. At her heaviest she was 22 STONE. But Fabia rediscovered her interest in dancing during a holiday to sister Lorenza's home in Cairo.

There she danced in public with a belly dancer and a cobra. Later she suffered a breakdown and was sectioned. During those turbulent years Fabia also had a string of disastrous relationships. Her ex-boyfriends includes a drug dealer and her cousin Luigi in Italy.

When she found out he had a wife she suffered another breakdown.

Then she met machine-firm worker Dougie Thomson, 53, on a night out with pals, and was with him for eight years.

But Fabia continued to suffer HALLUCINATIONS and heard voices-once believing she was Princess Margaret's daughter.

She even set fire to her hair and hacked off locks with meat scissors after wrongly thinking Dougie was secretly seeing Lorenza. But he stuck with her and she fell pregnant with their son Leone in 2004.

More trauma was to come. Fabia had a Caesarean because of her weight, and contracted the flesh-eating bug necrotising fasciitis.

Tummy

She said: "The next day I woke up with a black tummy and all this pus came out of my wound. I was in intensive care for three days. I was told I was lucky to be alive." Doctors said it was her excess fat that saved her.

Fabia then suffered terrible post-natal depression and went to a mental health hospital again.

Then Leone was diagnosed with a learning disability, meaning he now has the mental age of a two-year-old even though he is four. Fabia spends most of her time caring for him, and in 2007 started going to dance classes with a friend as a release from her problems.

Last October she enrolled on a month-long burlesque course and soon afterwards saw an advert for Britain's Got Talent.

She said: "It was just like fate. I was just planning how I could start performing locally when I saw Simon's face appear and felt like I was being called to the show."

But Dougie begged her not to audition and after a series of rows they split. Fabia insists they are still good friends, adding: "It's probably for the best we're separated-I think he'd be really embarrassed by what I'm doing. He just didn't want to know."

Fabia's life so far has been so incredible she has penned an autobiography with writer Martin Noble. They are now hoping to sell the book, called In Two Minds: Living with Bipolar Disorder: A Personal Memoir, to a publisher.

Martin said: "It is an astonishing book, and extraordinary story."

And Fabia is hoping she'll be able to add a chapter that tells how she wins Britain's Got Talent and performs on the Royal Variety Show.

She laughed: "I was over the moon with what Simon said about my act, about how the Royal family were 'gonna love those!'

"I think he's right-the Queen and Prince Philip would love to see my giant boobies!"

APOLOGIES: The Fabia video has been removed

Your comments

This article has 80 comments

GO FOR IT GIRL !!!!! I THINK YOU WERE GREAT,

By 123tweats. Posted April 18 2009 at 7:56 PM.

I'm sorry, but who cares. If she's got the balls to go up and show them off then good on her I say. So what if kids are in the audience or watching at home, it's not like they haven't seen them before.
Kids are introduced to breasts days after being born if they're breastfed. It's not going to turn all the girls into strippers or slags and all the boys into sex-mad strip-club-addicts is it.
She covered up as best she could do for being on TV anyway.
GO FABIA!
:)

By A. Coolkid. Posted April 17 2009 at 11:11 PM.

It isnt just Jesus that loves you love.So do I You are gorgeous please smile a bit more XXXX

By Phil. Posted April 16 2009 at 9:07 PM.

BIG WOMEN NEED LOVING TO

By Bossman. Posted April 15 2009 at 10:34 PM.

wish i had confidence like she does and im smaller than she is but she is faaaar more sexy than me because of the confidence she exudes. kudos to you fabia to he11 with the naysayers! i hope you share your secrets to self fconfidence in your book that would make it worth the price alone. also,GREAT legs!!

By big girl. Posted April 15 2009 at 5:23 AM.

I dont think it was appropriate for a family show but what a goddess, a real woman with heart and courage.

By Big Bob. Posted April 15 2009 at 2:26 AM.

That reminds me i need to walk the dog

By jabbauhut. Posted April 14 2009 at 11:43 PM.

has she got red tassles on her tits or is it carpet burns off them rubbing on the floor

By jabbahut. Posted April 14 2009 at 11:42 PM.

thats just put me off pork for life. it's not vuluptuous its FAT, same as her fat arse and belly.
i'm off to the toilet to spew up my breakfast

By geordie boy. Posted April 14 2009 at 11:39 PM.

I LOVE you you are a fresh of life , pure fantasic, lov to watch you for real , i pay to see you do a show , amazing . , if you ever in cheshire , our door is open for you xxx

By David m j A. Posted April 14 2009 at 4:20 PM.

And Europeans say American Tele is rude. Just plain gross!

By xjug1987. Posted April 13 2009 at 5:38 PM.

classic

now that was worth watching

wish i was in the audience

lols

you go girl

By daniel. Posted April 13 2009 at 4:47 PM.

rude rude rude omg

By ellie . Posted April 13 2009 at 9:19 AM.

I am in the circulation/distribution section of the Herald-Tribune in Florida, so we get copies of NoTW along with other publications from the UK. I thought this woman was wearing a costume when I saw the pix,that is until I had seen the other story in The Sun ,as well the vids on the web.As a BBW/FA male, I have to say Ms. Fabia is one HELL of a Big Beautiful Woman! She stands with the other heavyweights(no pun intended!) like Delta Burke, Dawn French, Nikki Blonski, who have shown time and again, "real women do have curves" and " big is beautiful".In closing, I would like to say all BBWs across the globe are beautiful, but I have to admit the women from the EU are leading the parade.Especially those from the Commonwealth (IRL, AUS, NZ, CDN included!) Fabia, we have a saying in America, " don't let anyone say that you can't do this or that.Stick to what you know and GO 4 IT!

By Lannie Miller, Jr-United States. Posted April 13 2009 at 6:02 AM.

you are still as beautiful as you were when you were at school my 2 daughters know you and your sister. go girl you have it made with that talent. and to all the critics read about mental health before you make comments. none of us are normal. unless you read then you never learn. dont run people down about there illness its torture for them. unless you have been down that road you dont know, and people have been diagnosed at the age of 40. leave the girl alone. good luck fabia. you will do well with that wonderful willpower. bless you.

By dot. Posted April 13 2009 at 12:07 AM.

FABIA. You must always remember that JESUS Loves You. HE,S the one who gave you life. JESUS is the onely true judge. so no matter what people say, the choice is yours. because GOD gave us that free will of choices. but we need to do what is right in GOD,S EYES, at the end of the day. Fabia some times people who make fun of others may be going through problems so to keep them selves happy they would tease other people. Girl i hope you do the right thing. GOD BLESS

By erica davis. Posted April 12 2009 at 11:08 PM.

brilliant very entertaining,good on you ,u were brill ignore the narrow minded people not worth a second thought..

By lisa. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:54 PM.

her body is well fit. i would kill 4 a body like that. u go gurl! and with massive natural boobs she puts pamela andreson to shame!

By treezabetts. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:51 PM.

Go on girl good luck xxxxxx

By Ms Susan Ann Frost. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:16 PM.

Well done Fabia for having the balls to get up there and do something many others wouldn't even dare to.

By Alexandra. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:45 PM.

WELL DONE FABIA, you are a very brave lady i hope you do well. dont be put off, you deserve a little happiness and i think you will get there.

By wendy. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:46 PM.

that reminds me, I must clean out my oven!!

By WEASEL JOE. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:21 PM.

cor! you dont get many of them for a pound more meat for yer money missus! theres too reesons ill be voting fore her

By fred the frog. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:18 PM.

In the word's of the Mika song , " Big girls , you are beautiful !"

By steve g. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:22 PM.

well done fabia. you got guts.A BODY TO KILL FOR VERY SEXY. you deserve to win, in my book you already have.good luck.

By colin. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:04 PM.

That reminds me. i need to get some new tyres on my car.

By c bronson. Posted April 12 2009 at 8:03 PM.

When there are so many Pro anna websites out there and people in the past have spent thousands on creating the celebrity lifestyle they can ill afford, its nice to see a woman going out their and fufil a dream. We allcould change in some way. You only get one life and as long as your happy that is the main thing. To have achived a dream should be an inspiration to us all. Way to go girl.

By Paul. Posted April 12 2009 at 6:45 PM.

she was briliant the strip routine was excelent

she was sexy

she is my type of women

By kylelad09. Posted April 12 2009 at 7:01 PM.

well done i thought u were brilliant

u were sexy,hot,gorgues i agree with piers u are my type of women

By kyle. Posted April 12 2009 at 6:58 PM.

lets face it, if this is all the U.K has to offer in talent, then i pitty this country who wants to see a chubby 35yr old women dance around the stage with her boobs hanging out? Forget about her past and all that, its not nothing to do with the show, at then end of the day, it was an embarresment, and id hate for the Queen to see such a thing!

By JK. Posted April 12 2009 at 6:13 PM.

I've known Fabia and her family for years and she is amazing friend, mother and lady, despite having to put up with alot of troubles over the past few years she has picked herself up and got on with it. Way to go girl, we are all routing for you.

By Angie. Posted April 12 2009 at 6:06 PM.

Don't Let No One Put You Down.. Keep On Dancing.x

By Jade & Becky. Posted April 12 2009 at 6:18 PM.

to all the people who want to slag her off don,t .i know fabia very well and to call her a loony is cruel ive seen her go through so much and come out the other side she is a girl with a big heart and yes she has got talent because i have seen her dance she is amazing i suppose if she was a size 4 and had false tits and blonde hair no one would say a cruel word .the thing is real people arnt all stick thin and have plastic tits. she done something to get a reaction and by god she did .so give her a chance and wait till you see her dance for real . i have known fabia for over 20 years and was a dancer myself and i danced alongside fabia so i know her all to well.you are just like the bullies who made her life hell all those years ago which doesnt make you very nice people but i will give you the benefit of the doubt like you should do for fabia and give her a chance i still wish i could still dance like she can but unfortunatly i am disabled now so my second chance has gone don,t deny her hers .thanks for reading this.

By sonia. Posted April 12 2009 at 5:26 PM.

Oh god get over it please!!
She looked great! she has a lot of confidence and i doubt many of you that are critising her would even go on stage.
Also, saying about her getting her tits out in front of kids etc etc, GET OVER IT SERIOUSLY!
women have boobs so what?
you need to stop being so overprotective of your kids for god sake.

By scarlett. Posted April 12 2009 at 5:09 PM.

go for it girl

By dave. Posted April 12 2009 at 4:32 PM.

EWW what a freak!

By Blink. Posted April 12 2009 at 4:43 PM.

there needs to be more knockers on tv

By U Kuntz. Posted April 12 2009 at 4:16 PM.

I think letting children watch this is fine because its just natural so parents should'nt worrie so much. You go girl!!

By Sophi. Posted April 12 2009 at 4:11 PM.

She's so fat.
I don't care what's happened in her past, I don't want to see her fat bits. Cover up girl, you look a real mess.
Get down the gym and put a stop to the chocolate.
Have you no shame ?

By Steve. Posted April 12 2009 at 4:08 PM.

good for you girl you were great, kids didn't see anything they shouldn't you were covered by union jacks so sod the negitive comments.

By sue. Posted April 12 2009 at 3:07 PM.

Despite what this lady has gone through in her life, and the act having no chance of getting to the final.. She was a lady doing something that many people would not have the guts to do. And I hope she had the time of her life on that stage!!!

I do not think the personal insults are welcome and am very sad for the people who feel they need to make them as i would not expect this kind of feedback from a child!! lets be grown up about this!!

By Beverley. Posted April 12 2009 at 2:58 PM.

go fabia very nice lol

By tea'. Posted April 12 2009 at 2:54 PM.

1. They shouldn't let kids sit in the theatre when there's stuff like that happening on stage!

2. If she was pretty and half that size she would never have been allowed on. Because she's fat it's considered 'fun'.

By Junaid. Posted April 12 2009 at 2:20 PM.

fabia ur were brilliant last night it was a bit of a shock to see you on tv but you go girl ur great ignor those negative coments your so much better than that with love mark xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By mark horwood. Posted April 12 2009 at 2:06 PM.

No wonder there is so many tarts dressed like this nowadays when ITV1 put this honk on. Kids think this is acceptable. Should of been on after 10PM.

By Bob. Posted April 12 2009 at 1:57 PM.

the problem with programmes like this is you either like the act or you dont,to get personal about an individual is unacceptable though ITV got exactly what they wanted by screening this act its called cheap publicity likewise one has to question the morals of the judges for sending her through to the semis,knowing full well that this act could never be allowed to be seen in front of her ma am again its a case of for every person that wont be watching next week ,10 people will hence hugh ratings. If you really want to make a difference rather than slate the individual acts dont watch the show cause i am telling you now it is oh so fixed and edited down to what they wear to what they actually say and on a final note your kids have probably seen a lot worst on tv than a natural pair of breasts.

By tony mace. Posted April 12 2009 at 2:02 PM.

To the people complaining that this shouldnt have been shown on a family show - did you actually watch it? her boobs were completely covered up with union jack flags so as not to offend idiots like you lot. i didnt even know she had nipple tassles on til i just read this. oh, and it was also shown after 9pm, so if any parents were offended by this, then its their own fault for letting their kids watch tv after the watershed

By Steph. Posted April 12 2009 at 1:44 PM.

how is she fantastic? 1, she has no talent, and 2, why does she have that creepy serious look on her face? just makes her look more ugly

By misha. Posted April 12 2009 at 1:30 PM.

What a fright,for everyone,my kids were watching that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!She is off her head,she is a big fat minger,and why she thinks shes got tallent I will never know.

By Cas Snow. Posted April 12 2009 at 12:22 PM.

i think she looks great sod to what everyone else thinks . i think she has come a long way . well done

By mandy . Posted April 12 2009 at 11:59 AM.

Pitiful. There are people out there who go through far worse and don't have the support of parents at all and have to make it in life entirely on their own. They study, they don't escape by taking drugs, they fight to keep their mental state together, they excel and perhaps rise to high levels in business and professions, but these REAL fighters get no credit or applause. They overcome their disadvantage quietly and dignity.

What has this woman done? If she'd danced brilliantly, that would have been admirable. But what has become of her? Just a stripper who has become famous because she got her obese body and tits out. What on earth is admirable in that?

By James. Posted April 12 2009 at 11:31 AM.

Go Fabia!!!
You were the best act on the show last night really entertaining, really funny and you're a great dancer and beautiful too. Loved it! Love you!
Just read the article on your life story which makes you even more incredible.
Hope you have great success and hope you go far in the show.
Jay xxx

By Jay C. Posted April 12 2009 at 11:00 AM.

I don´t care about her size, she could be a size 0 for all I care but this is NOT fit for a show that is supposed to be for the whole family. Naked women with their tits out should just stay at the strip clubs.

By Aggie. Posted April 12 2009 at 11:04 AM.

i went to scholl.with her and havent laughed soooo much in a long time!!!!

By trude. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:49 AM.

Fantastic! You go girl.

By Tina Rees. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:37 AM.

All credit to this woman for coming through all the adversity she has suffered and for being true to herself and being proud of her body and her figure. Wish her all the best and in these hard times would be amazing to see someone like her succeed and to hear a sad story with a happy ending. HOWEVER, I have to agree that BGT was not the best place for an act like this. After all it is a family show with the objective of finding an act to perform at the Royal Variety Show, and this act unfortunately has neither a family nor a Royal appeal.

By Alex. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:14 AM.

go for it girl..... no worse than the other rubbish on tv

By maria. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:11 AM.

Let her perform without the flags....she is a natural woman..and let the world see her...nothing wrong with it...we see too many skinny girls as models...let her be a role model for the normal girl.

By marmotbrown. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:17 AM.

go giirl

By guy. Posted April 12 2009 at 10:09 AM.

Fabia I have mental issues and suffered abuse and want to say you go girl. I am 40 and it still affects me, I wish I had your confidence. Good luck x

By gail. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:53 AM.

this should never have been shown on prime time viewing. i found it embarrising not only for me but for her. why put her through to the semi final she can't win and making her think she is good when in fact she is a sick woman

By lynn. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:47 AM.

Curves curves curves, great to see a real women at last and to be proud of what she has and it brought a smile to everyones face. They always say thats its not over till the fat lady sings they now might have to re write this phrase.

By Phillip Dutton-White. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:41 AM.

You go girl. Take no notice of the negative knockersxx

By jon. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:29 AM.

When she did the splits, I almost brought my tea back up. She was horrendous.Why is it that I am not one bit surprised that some-one saw fit to include her obscene performance, in what is,supposedly a family show.She looked as if she was auditioning for a part in a porn film.

By I.Givup. Posted April 12 2009 at 9:09 AM.

I thought you were brilliant ! just wonderful to see someone being themselves. Long live being unique, individual and belief in themselves. bye-bye stick thin girls, lets see those curves.

By lou. Posted April 12 2009 at 8:44 AM.

this should not have been shown on a primetime family show.and is made even worse for the judges to vote her through.im sure there are other avenues for her to show her talent (i use the word loosely).

By julie. Posted April 12 2009 at 8:39 AM.

i thought fabia was very sexy loved her dance and strip routine loved her big boobs and sexy legs would love to see fabia win britains got talent

By chris smith. Posted April 12 2009 at 8:35 AM.

Brilliant! The show was fantastic ans so was she. Nothing wrong here except narrow minded comments.

By Peter. Posted April 12 2009 at 8:30 AM.

Very sad, very embarrassing. Cheap, sordid and talentless. A sad reflection on the programme and the country to consider this entertainment. Pathetic.

By Vertias. Posted April 12 2009 at 8:02 AM.

I hope that she is happier now and her illness is under control. I just hope they don't make her a laughing stock which is what I fear will happen.

By LJ. Posted April 12 2009 at 7:45 AM.

it was hilarious watching the judges faces

the woman has guts - go girl

By Lillyme. Posted April 12 2009 at 7:44 AM.

why are we laughing at someone who's been in and out of mental hospitals and has mental issues?
It's like watching the local loony on telly.

By ca. Posted April 12 2009 at 7:42 AM.

Gross - Cannot believe this was shown on prime time telly in front of millions of kids.

By ca. Posted April 12 2009 at 7:40 AM.

This should never have been shown, kids up and down the country would have seen it and ITV have stooped to new lows with this. This is not talent, this is pathetic and insults the tv audience.

By Stuart. Posted April 12 2009 at 7:11 AM.

she looks like the Jabba the Hut. A bit.

By phil. Posted April 12 2009 at 2:08 AM.

I could not believe that prime time TV was showing strippers - I thought this was only performed at sleazy working class Social clubs. Standards have certainly dropped with British TV

By Brian Morris. Posted April 12 2009 at 1:27 AM.

Kids watch this, and were in the audience! What were the judges thinking putting her through! She looked cheap.

By Eileen. Posted April 12 2009 at 1:13 AM.

I thought she was a sad fat old cow.

By Trisha. Posted April 12 2009 at 12:46 AM.

I watched the performance and was amazed they put the act through to the next round....
Well done Simon and co let"s get her to the Royal variety performance it would be worth watching for once!!!!

By Gary malkin. Posted April 12 2009 at 12:16 AM.

They aint no DD !!! More like GG

By Rach. Posted April 12 2009 at 12:07 AM.

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