Leslie Ash: 'I wanted to hide away'

Leslie Ash wanted to 'hide away' after suffering an allergic reaction to collagen lip implants, she has admitted.

The actress continued to film police drama Mersey Beat in the aftermath of the incident in 2003, leading to widespread ridicule and a 'trout pout' nickname in the media. She has since undergone further surgery to repair the damage, but has been told that her lips will never be the same again.

Ash told The Mirror: "The media had a field day and I became a figure of fun. Ashamed of the way I looked, I wanted to hide away but that was impossible because I was still filming the BBC TV drama Mersey Beat.

"I can remember feeling wretched and helpless, standing in the middle of a field on location in Liverpool shouting up to the sky: 'No!'"

Ash had previously used the same surgeon for a similar procedure two years previously. She said: "I expected her to use the same filler again and thought it was odd when she used many more injections than before. But I trusted her and it didn't occur to me to question what she was doing. That was a mistake I will always regret."