Playboy model who dated Raheem Sterling died days after returning to UK following BBL surgery abroad
A PLAYBOY model who dated Raheem Sterling died days after returning to the UK following a Brazilian bum-lift, an inquest heard.
Tabby Brown, 38, had travelled to the Dominic Republic for the surgery, which also required her to have liposuction, in October 2023.
An inquest heard she died suddenly just three days after returning to the UK after developing a “fat embolism”.
Tabby’s mum Mahasin had tragically found the model, who worked for Playboy and appeared on The Bachelor, collapsed in her South London home on October 13.
The court heard she had two “puncture wounds” in her pelvis, which confirmed she had undergone plastic surgery, Mail Online reports.
Oliver Harley, a cosmetic surgeon expert, told the inquest: “Tabby travelled to the Dominican Republic for a Brazilian Butt Lift, this is where fat is harvested from the torso by liposuction and injected into the buttocks to increase their size.
“The BBL is known to cause potential fat embolism and death and Tabby died as a consequence.”
Tabby, who previously dated footballers Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli, had kept her surgery hidden from her family.
She instead told her mum she had gone on a two-week trip to South America, the court heard.
Mum Mahasin looked after Tabby when she fell ill hours after her return to the UK but believed her daughter had picked up a viral infection while travelling.
She said the actress and dancer did not want to seek medical advice and instead took painkillers.
Mahasin told the court Tabby “felt weak” before she discovered her daughter not breathing on the floor.
Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Julian Morris said Tabby had “enjoyed a successful career as a model and was well liked professionally and personally”.
She had a big laugh, smile and a personality that charmed many and matched her beauty.
Tabby's devastated family
He added: “‘The postmortem concluded that Tabby’s cause of death was fat embolism caused by liposuction.
“Fat embolisms are a known and rare complication but can occur with this type of surgery.
“The expert concluded that liposuction caused her death as fat embolisms do not occur naturally.
“She was fit and healthy, visited the Dominican Republic for surgery and on her return became unwell and collapsed, on balance the operative procedure caused her death.”
Tabby’s devastated family paid tribute to the model, who they said was the “face of many ad campaigns for recognised brands”.
The family added: “Tabby had enjoyed a successful career as a model, having featured in music videos of several well-known British and American artists.
“She had a big laugh, smile and a personality that charmed many and matched her beauty.
“Close family and close friends take solace from the fact that she experienced many years in which she lived out her dreams.
“But we are also saddened by her premature departure, we love and miss Tabby very much and will always keep her memory close to our hearts.”
Tabby dated former Man City star Balotelli for around seven months after they met in 2011.
She later said she “really fell” for the Italian footballer “against my better judgement”.
Tabby later enjoyed a date with England star Sterling at a posh Manchester hotel in March 2016.
What are Brazilian Bum Lifts and why are they so popular?
Buttock enlargement surgery – known as a Brazilian bum-lift (BBL) – is used to make the bum look bigger, rounded and lifted.
Surgeons transfer fat, inject filler or insert silicone-filled implants.
It is the fastest growing cosmetic procedure but also one of the most dangerous, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
Many patients are travelling to the likes of Turkey or seeking out unregistered surgeons in the UK and are not given full information on the risks.
BBLs carry the highest risk of all cosmetic surgeries – with more than one death occurring per 4,000 procedures.
Due to celebrities undergoing such ops, many women are hoping to emulate their looks.
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Anu Sayal-Bennett, a chartered member of the British Psychological Society, told the BBC: “Despite there being so much about body positivity, there are pressures for women – and men too – to look a certain way.”
Many people travel abroad for the procedure because it is cheaper and advertising is “terribly seductive”, combined with the idea of a beach holiday, added Dr Sayal-Bennett.
Her death is the latest in a series of tragedies to hit Brits who go under the knife.
In August, Kaydell Brown, 38 died after paying £5,400 for the procedure, as well as a tummy tuck and a boob job.
While mum Alice Webb died in September after allegedly undergoing the surgery in the UK.
Brazilian butt-lifts, also known as buttock augmentation procedures, involve injecting fat or filler into the bum to shape it.
But wrongly injecting too deep into the buttock can pump chemicals into the bloodstream and cause deadly clots, infections or sepsis.
They can also go wrong if the anaesthetic is botched or people have an allergic reaction.