‘I went from advantages to Turkey-surgery influencer – trolls are simply jealous’

On Jul 20, 2024

A mum revealed how she was struggling to make ends meet before she became a Turkey-surgery influencer.

Lauren Evens, 31, from Chester, always had a hard time managing her weight since she could remember. The mum-of-three had battled with her physical and mental health and ballooned to 24st and a size 26.

Due to her condition, Lauren had no other choice but to claim Universal Credit and PIP (Personal Independence Payment). She found herself in and out of hospital, desperate to get back on her feet again.

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That’s when Lauren decided to save up the little money she had and booked a £2,300 trip to Turkey to get a gastric sleeve – and that decision changed her life forever.

She’s gone from unemployed and overweight to a financially ‘comfortable’ Turkey-surgery influencer who now even has shares in one company.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, Lauren who has now spent £20,000 on surgery, said: “When I first started my Turkey journey I was on benefits.

“But because I’ve obviously blown up on social media, I got offered brand deals, I was working with companies and so had to come off benefits otherwise that would have been benefit fraud.”

Lauren was unable to work due to her struggles with her physical and mental health. She always struggled to see a future for herself and never pictured that she’d be fitting into a size 10 bridal dress – all while earning a living through social media.

The mum boasts a collective 65,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram where she regularly updates fans – mostly those in the bariatric ‘community’ – about her surgery endeavours.

This then got Lauren noticed by Turkish brands that are profiting off a newfound medical tourism industry that sees an estimated 1.2 million people visit yearly to the Middle Eastern country for cosmetic work – and often at a much lower price than you’d expect to pay in the UK.

So far she’s had eight different treatments – including a botched boob job where she says the implant was fitted into her armpit – and will be jetting abroad to start IVF treatment with her wife-to-be Hannah.

Lauren has now partnered with a brand to promote their services and even has shares in the company. She’s admitted that her life has completely changed from just about surviving on benefits to an in-demand influencer.

For Lauren, it’s not about the money or being an influencer – she’s managed to find herself again. She told us: “It’s not just being a Turkey influencer, but an influencer in general. I found myself again, I found love for myself and that’s where it starts off.

“I’ve now obviously met my wife-to-be, I see a future ahead of me now. The fact that I am an influencer and I get paid for doing what I love and what I’m passionate about because I’ve been through it – that’s the cherry on the cake.”

However, Lauren has experienced some form of trolling for her pipeline from claiming benefits to becoming an influencer. Trolls attack anything from her experience, her parenting and her body.

But, she puts it down to ‘jealousy’.

She concluded: “Trolls don’t bother me. I chose to share my journey for my own personal reasons and I didn’t expect to gain a following. I always tell people to research and not go off just what I say.

“Most of my trolls have already had weight loss surgery so I don’t know if it’s down to jealousy.”