Louis Theroux has undergone liposuction for a new television documentary about plastic surgery to be shown on BBC Two.

The controversial presenter paid £2,500 out of his own pocket to go under the knife after he was advised to get rid of his love handles by a surgeon.

The star decided to carry out the operation so that he could understand what it was like for the people he had met on the show and to see if he felt the same way.

He said: "I started this film with an open mind about experiencing the world of plastic surgery at first hand. To begin with, I'd thought I might get something minor like botox injections in my forehead but some of the surgeons I met suggested I needed a nose job, and others said I'd benefit from a brow lift. I wasn't keen as I've got rather used to the way my face looks.

"A leading surgeon then told me I'd be a good candidate for lipo on my stomach and love handles."

The operation will be broadcast in the autumn in Theroux's film Louis Theroux: Under The Knife.