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'Doctors told me to have a boob job at 15'

Dannii Johnson became one of the youngest people to undergo surgery on the NHS after doctors recommended that she has a boob job at the tender age of 15.

According to The Sun, Dannii had the op because her boobs were uneven, with one being an A cup and the other, a D cup.

Now 16, Dannii recalls how depressed she felt because of her condition: "I didn't want to leave the house. All I wanted to do was stay at home and watch TV. I thought everybody could see what was wrong and would talk about me."

Her mum Sharon adds: "Dannii was very introverted and unhappy. She used to hide away.

"Going shopping with her to buy bras was a nightmare. We could never find one that fitted - one side was always too big and looked silly.

"And she didn't want to try them on because it was too embarassing for her."

Sharon also spoke about Dannii being referred to the plastic surgery unit at Broomfield Hospital in Essex: "At first they were unsure about operating on someone so young. But after she was evaluated by a psychologist they realised the effict it was having on her wellbeing, and in February she was recommended for the procedure."

Dannii was informed that she had a long wait - over a year - before the op, which required a silicone implant to be inserted into her left breast, could be carried out.

But Dannii got a call last month requesting her to go to the hospital for her op, and remembers being "excited".

Despite the painkillers making her "very sick" after the op, Dannii is so much happier now.

Sharon says that she  "keeps looking down at her breasts and smiling".

Dannii's breasts are now the same size and look identical. She will also be able to breastfeed.

The Sun quotes a surgeon by the name of Venkat Ramakrishna, who operated on Dannii, as saying: "Some people may ask why we should do this operation on the NHS hen the condition is not life-threatening. But this surgery is necessary to correct a major developmental deformity."

He is concerned that the demand for this type of operation may not be able to be paid for by the state: "People are going to start asking for this surgery more and more, but we offer it less and less. I grapple wit this issue when procedures like this compete with cancer. The pot is shrinking and the tensions are rising."

A condition by the name of Neurofibromatosis, which causes non-cancerous lumps to develop, is thought to have resulted in Dannii's uneven breasts after she had a harmless lump removed from her her left breast aged 13. But doctors can't be sure.

Dannii's story airs on Channel 4's The Hospital at 9pm tonight.