Sherrie Hewson has 'wide awake' facelift despite almost dying in her last op

The Loose Women and Benidorm star admitted afterwards: "I shut my eyes because I didn’t want to see what was coming towards my face"

Loose Woman Sherrie Hewson has had a facelift despite almost dying in her last op. But this time she stayed wide awake throughout.

Doctors had to cancel her surgery and fight to save the 64-year-old Benidorm actress when she had convulsions and blacked out seconds after being given a general anaesthetic two months ago.

But after surviving her brush with death, Sherrie was still so determined to banish the wrinkles that she opted for a 60-minute “wide awake facelift” – known as a WAF lift – under local anaesthetic.

And she admitted afterwards: “I was very nervous, really quite scared. I shut my eyes because I didn’t want to see what was coming towards my face.”

Delighted Sherrie, 64, says the procedure exceeded her expectations and has given her a massive confidence boost in her bid to find love

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And she called on other famous people who have had work done to come clean about it – to help others who are unhappy at the way they are ageing.

Sherrie said: “I can’t bear it when celebrities lie about it.

“I want people watching me at home to know exactly how I’ve helped myself to look the best I can for as long as I can. I want to be honest and truthful about it because I think there’s nothing wrong with it.”

And she insisted: “I didn’t want to look 20 years younger, I wanted to enhance the age I am – I’m so thrilled with the result.

“Having it has given me back my confidence and self-worth.”

Sherrie had a traditional “nip and tuck” facelift when she turned 50 and has since used Botox and fillers to maintain her looks.

And she admitted she had been uncertain about how much a one-hour “lunchtime lift” could achieve. She said: “I was sceptical because I thought this just can’t do the same as cutting and pulling your face.

“But in fact it’s even better. It hasn’t done what a traditional facelift does, which is pull your skin back and distort your features – it’s enhanced and lifted them.

“I don’t look 25 years younger and I haven’t altered my face shape. It’s just very, very natural.”

Last month Sherrie told us she “thought she was a goner” after suffering convulsions and blacking out when she was injected with a general anaesthetic to have a routine facelift at a clinic in Spain.

So this time, she said: “People told me to be careful and remember what happened with my allergic reaction. But I never wavered about still wanting work done on my face.

“Having this procedure has really sold non-invasive treatments to me. I think it’s the future – if I want anything else done this is the way I’ll do it, no question. People should look for alternatives before going straight to surgery. I wouldn’t have an anaesthetic now unless it was a medical emergency.”

Sherrie’s facelift started with tiny stitches and threads injected into areas of her face to tighten and lift the skin.

Blood was then taken from her arm and also injected into her face, to stimulate her cells to regenerate new tissue.

The third part of the treatment saw a derma roller used to tackle skin damage.

The actress’s face was covered with numbing cream beforehand and she remained wide awake throughout. She said: “I shut my eyes – I thought, whatever they’re doing, I don’t want to know.

“I could feel tugging but I didn’t know what it was.

“But it wasn’t painful and there was hardly any bruising afterwards.”

After an hour on the table she spent the next few days recuperating at home.

She says she felt amazing from the moment she looked in the mirror at the clinic. She said: “The improvement was immediate, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

“Before I had a neck which was sagging, like anybody’s is at 64, and I saw the lift in my neck straight away.

“It lifted my whole profile up and made me feel better immediately. Then I looked at my cheeks and realised they’d been lifted too.” The treatment cost just £3,000, compared to £10,000 for a ­traditional surgical procedure.

Sherrie said: “It’s well worth the money considering it’s done more or less the same thing. And there was no downtime – I just headed home afterwards. That’s how good it was.

“If it had been a traditional facelift I’d still be black and blue.”

And when she finally ventured outside, she said, the compliments came thick and fast.

“People have asked me if I’ve been on holiday and say I look well and refreshed,” she smiled. “They also say I look better than I do on the telly.

“My daughter Keeley is loving it because she knows that I feel happy about

myself, which is all she wants.

“And even my little granddaughter Molly asked the other day, ‘Nana you look really well, have you been away?’”

Sherrie says she looks healthier and more vibrant and believes it was important for her career not to go too far.

She said: “What I didn’t want was for my face to change.

“You see that all the time with surgery – I don’t like that duvet face some people have, for example.

“I have a wonderful job on Benidorm and my character, Joyce Temple-Savage, looks like she looks. Equally on Loose Women , I want to still be me.

“That was very, very important to me. Now, all people say to me is, ‘You look well’.

“I don’t look tired and worn out and that’s all that matters.”

Sherrie happily admits her fears about ageing were a key reason she wanted to have the work done.