Megan McKenna chats getting naked for Full Monty charity gig, body-shaming trolls and ‘Muggy’ Mike Thalassitis
STUNNING Megan McKenna slowly began to strip off her clothes in front of her closest friends and family – and suddenly realised she was making a terrible mistake.
The 25-year-old Towie regular hoped the performance would help her overcome a fear of going naked in front of anybody apart from boyfriend “Muggy” Mike Thalassitis.
But the plan backfired and she soon realised it was only making her even more terrified about baring all in this week’s TV charity performance of The Full Monty.
She told The Sun on Sunday: “Getting naked in public is one of my biggest fears so I can’t believe I am going through with this.
“I’ve been worrying about it every day. Ever since I signed up it has been the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning.
“The ‘intimate rehearsal’ in front of my friends and family was supposed to boost my confidence but actually did the opposite — I was absolutely s****ing myself.
“They were so close I could see all their faces, it made me really nervous.
"I am terrified about what it will be like doing it in front of millions.”
Participants include former Liberty X star Michelle Heaton, 38, who had a preventative mastectomy in 2016 and TV presenter Victoria Derbyshire, 49, who has battled the disease and had a mastectomy in 2015.
Ahead of them, on Wednesday, men will take to the stage for their live performance to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer.
Stars taking part include presenter Jeff Brazier, 38, chef Ainsley Harriott, 61, and The Wanted’s Tom Parker, 29.
The concept is inspired by the 1997 movie The Full Monty, about a group of struggling former Sheffield steel workers who form a Chippendales-style strip act.
Megan has been in rehearsals for weeks to perfect the routine the women will film the night before the broadcast.
But in a bid to stop worrying about the big finale she has just jetted off to Barbados with her Love Island star boyfriend Mike, 25, before the big event.
The romantic break is turning out not to be much of a distraction, however.
In an exclusive chat from her villa, she said: “Even now I’m on holiday I’m stressing every ten minutes about having to take my clothes off.
“I’m so nervous. People say, ‘You’re young and you’re on Instagram, you should be fine with this,’ but I do have my insecurities.
“I’ve never done this before, I’m not a Page 3 model and I’m just not used to taking my clothes off in front of people.
“I won’t even get naked in front of my friends.
"I can be a closed book in certain situations — and it has only got worse since I became famous.
“I won’t ever sunbathe topless. My mum used to get her boobs out all the time but I can’t do it for some reason.
“She told me, ‘I don’t know why you worry so much, you’ve got a great body.’
“But the only person I feel comfortable being naked in front of is Mike.
“He is always telling me how beautiful I am and that makes me feel sexy.
“He likes my bum and my stomach best but he seems to love the rest of me too.”
Megan, who is trying to launch a career as a country music singer and also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and the MTV series Ex On The Beach, says her biggest fear is the backlash she may face when she goes starkers on TV.
She said: “My fans can be really harsh and the amount of trolling I get is a nightmare.
"I’ve been told I have the body of a ten-year-old boy, which is nasty and spiteful.
“People say things like, ‘This girl has such small t*ts she should get a boob job.’
“About a year ago a young boy managed to get hold of my phone number and he called up when I was home alone and started shouting ‘pancake t*ts’ over and over again.
“I do feel self-conscious about the size of my breasts and I have considered getting a boob job in the past but ultimately I prefer to be natural.
"Once breast implants are on there’s no going back. Right now I can always put a pair of ‘chicken fillets’ under my bra and go up a couple of chest sizes.
"But if I want to wear an elegant dress I might look slaggy if I had big boobs.
“People body-shame me all the time about my lips and the fact I had lip fillers.
"I’ve been getting them done every year for the past three years.
“For me they made me feel more confident. I like the plump look. It’s the only thing I’ve had done.
"People say I’ve had a nose job and that’s just ridiculous.
"These trolls are sad people and I’d never want to be them but at the same time I’m only human and it does bother me.
“I know I will be shaking with fear when we film but the other girls have been great and we’ve all been supporting each other.
“The producers took us to Paris to watch a topless cabaret act to prepare us, and seeing those women walking around with their breasts out 24/7 made me realise, ‘It’s OK, everyone has a pair of boobs’.
"But that still hasn’t stopped the nerves.
“Also, I know it’s for a good cause and I’m appearing with women who have faced this battle.
"I’ve got nothing to complain about.”
Megan’s rehearsals almost came unstuck when she came down with food poisoning last month and had to spend five nights at Whipps Cross hospital in East London.
During the ordeal her weight dropped by a stone to 8st 7lb.
The only thing that has got her through at times is the thought that she is appearing on the show in honour of her grandad.
Roy Daden died aged 77 three years ago from prostate cancer.
She said: “I know he will be looking down on me and feeling proud, and all my family are so proud of what I am doing as is my boyfriend.”
Her holiday with Mike, dubbed “Muggy” by Love Island rival Chris Hughes after he stole his girlfriend last year, is boosting her feel-good factor.
Megan, whose little sister Milly, 18, also appears in Towie, said: “I’ve always wanted to come to Barbados and this is the most romantic holiday I’ve ever been on.
“The weather is perfect, about 29 degrees, and we’ve been sunbathing and jet skiing and having dinner at amazing restaurants.
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“I’m so happy with Mike. He’s already met my family and I feel very lucky seeing him in his swimming trunks every day.
“My favourite part of him is his torso, it’s amazing, and his face is gorgeous.
“I look at him and he’s so perfect — it’s like he’s a perfect picture who has been drawn.
“I haven’t asked Mike if he’d like to do The Real Full Monty next year but given the way he looks I think that would be a great idea.”