AS anyone who has been through a painful split knows, the break-up makeover – or breakover – is a must.
What better way to move on from an ex than with a new haircut or a wardrobe update?
But while some newly-minted singletons are happy to settle for a fresh hair highlights, others like to take things up a notch.
Take Lily Allen, who – devastated by the breakdown of her four-year marriage to David Harbour amid rumours he cheated – has been giving herself an extreme glamover with a boob job.
Speaking on her podcast Miss Me? last week, the 39-year-old told her co-host Miquita Oliver: “I just got some additions to the family. I don’t know if you noticed.”;
She added she’s been buying fancy lingerie and boosting her confidence with sexy selfies, revealing: “They look really incredible when I take my top off and my bra off, but there’s definitely a contrast in age between my breasts and my face.”;
And, by the sound of things, Lily’s just getting started – teasing: “I’m just thinking maybe I get the BBL [Brazilian butt lift] next. I quite want the bum.”;
The mum-of-two’s not the only one to have taken the chance for a reset – and a glam-up – following a painful split.
Khloe Kardashian
Quite possibly the poster girl for the post-divorce glow-up, Khloe took her plummeting self-esteem to task after she broke up with ex-husband Lamar Odom in 2013.
The reality star hit the gym hard, saying she used the exercise as “therapy”; and soon found solace and healing by making her body stronger.
“As a by-product, my body started changing,”; she said in 2024. “I loved the way I felt. I loved testing myself and challenging myself.”;
Doubling down on her transformation, the star also got a nose job in 2019, and started experimenting with Botox, though she’s remained tight-lipped on any other procedures she may or may not have had.
The 40-year-old has since become a passionate mouthpiece for break-up makeover – even fronting her own TV series, Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian, from 2017 to 2019, that encouraged participants to update their image in the wake of a life upheaval.
Helen Flanagan
Former Corrie star Helen has nothing to hide when it comes to her post-split glow-up – saying she took matters into her own hands, and her surgeon’s hands, after her confidence hit an all-time low.
The soap star, who split from her ex-fiance Scott Sinclair in October 2022 after 13 years together, admitted a few months later that she’d had a boob job to boost both her bust and her self-confidence.
“I'm actually really nervous about sharing this but I've had a boob job,”; she told fans in an Instagram video. “'But yeah, it's just something that I did for myself, I really wanted to do it for my confidence.”;
The actress added that her boobs had become saggy after having her three children – Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, four. Doubling down on the breakover, she added to her tweakments a month later with lip filler and a new platinum blonde hairdo.
The 34-year-old, who’s now in a relationship with former footballer Robbie Talbot, has one clear message for anyone else going under the knife.
“Obviously, I very much am for body confidence,”; she’s said, “And very much for supporting other women, but supporting women in all choices that they decide to do.”
Daisy May Cooper
Since splitting from her ex-husband Will Weston in 2021, Daisy’stransformed before our eyes into a full-blown glamazon, showing off her weight loss with sexy outfits and waving goodbye to her former frumpy fashion choices.
The 38-year-old says she’s lost 10st over the past few years by following a keto diet – which eliminates carbs – adding: “I wasn’t healthy [before the weight loss]. I couldn’t breathe when I was walking up the stairs. I was so unhappy.”;
She also had filler in her lips and got some very glam, long blonde hair extensions – completing her breakover with an updated wardrobe. Speaking about her image overhaul, the mum of three has slammed fans who criticised her for glamming up and losing weight.
“I've had some messages like, ‘Well, now you've lost the weight you're not funny any more',”; she’s said. “What the f***? Why do women have to be f****** fat to be funny? That makes me so angry. I champion anybody. I think everybody should be happy with their body. But I wasn't.”
Ruth Langsford
Her ex, Eamonn Holmes, may have moved on with new love Katie Alexander, 43, but Ruth Langsford is showing him – and the world – what he’s missing with a sleek glow-up.
The 65 year old, who split from Eamonn last May after 14 years of marriage, has been wowing her Instagram followers with her lighter, longer hairdo and an updated wardrobe. She’s also shown she’s not prepared to sit at home moping – instead hitting the town with friends including Rylan and Lizzie Cundy, to show off her brand-new look.
What’s more – after declaring she was kicking off a “healthier”; start to the year in January – Ruth’s been showing off a slimmed down look, thanks to nutritious packed lunches that she takes to ITV studios.
Clearly, her followers have noticed the glow-up, with one commenting, “Best Ruth has ever looked.”; Another weighed in, “Looking fabulous. Single life seems to suit you.”;
Victoria Pendleton
Cycling legend Victoria’s probably had one of the biggest transformations we’ve seen when it comes to the break-up makeover – and her changing looks are only half the story.
According to her, she’s been on a massive journey of self-development and growth, ever since splitting from her ex-husband Scott Gardner in 2018.
In the aftermath of the “unpleasant”; split, the sports star fell into a deep depression but she overcame it with medication and focusing on all the things she loved doing: “Surfing, cooking, being in the garden and having my hands in the soil, spending time with my horses and riding my motorcycle.”;
Fighting back from the brink, she updated her appearance to reflect her new lease of life, dyeing her hair and adding to her tattoo collection. The result was a far edgier – and more confident – Victoria.
Posing for Flying Eze’s Fabulous magazine in 2020, the former Olympian unveiled her new look, explaining that the end of her marriage had helped her reconnect with her inner wild child.
“The thing with the tattoos, I really feel like I’m in a position in my life where being judged doesn’t concern me,”; she said. “I’m not afraid of being myself any more. Whereas before, being an athlete, I always felt I had to stick to the guidelines and try to be a good role model – all these things kept me in a very confined space.
“But I’ve always been the kind of girl that wanted to ride a motorcycle and liked heavy metal. I’m a big contradiction.”;
Adele
Adele has had one of the most dramatic transformations in the public eye, after overhauling her lifestyle following her split from ex-husband, Simon Konecki, in 2019.
The singer suffered “terrible anxiety” following the split – but she managed it through therapy and weight loss. In the process, she lost around 7st, and started unveiling some glam, body-hugging new looks.
She later explained, “Working out, I would just feel better. It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone.”
As for those who demand to know what her exact fitness regime is, the 36-year-old has one response: “I couldn’t give a flying f**k,” she told Vogue in 2021. ”I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”
