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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Lee Bullen & Laura Sharman

Man has 30 operations to look like Ricky Martin - and says he is prettier than star

A man who had 30 cosmetic operations to look like Ricky Martin claimed he is "even prettier" than the 'Livin' La Vida Loca' hitmaker.

Francisco Mariano Javier Ibanez was told he looked like the 'She Bangs' singer and later decided to go under the knife.

The lookalike, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, spoke about the gruelling procedures he underwent to look like the celeb via TV show Mananisima on Tuesday.

"I did my nose, chin, lips... I wanted to look like Ricky Martin, but the truth is, I ended up prettier than him," Francisco said.

Despite undergoing the dramatic transformation to appear like the pop star, Francisco recently discovered that it is best to "just be yourself" and said it took him a long time to realise it.

Francisco had 30 ops to look like Ricky Martin (Newsflash)
This included work on his nose, chin and lips (Newsflash)

When asked why he was so desperate to look like the pop star, he said: "Because of the sense of belonging we all have.

"And at that time, I didn't have the distinction of saying 'I have to be the best version of me'.

"I thought about who everyone likes and, yes it's true, people told me that I kind of resembled him. So I believed them."

Ricky Martin performing live on stage at the amfAR Cannes Gala in May (Getty Images for amfAR)

Francisco previously told how he had a photo of Martin, realised he resembled him and decided to "go for it".

"Now I am able to realise that the ideal thing is to be yourself, not someone else. But It took a while to realise that," he added.

Francisco said he is not addicted to surgery, but rather to "how you feel after it."

Francisco said he felt shame when diagnosed with obesity (Newsflash)

"I think that, at some point in your life, addiction develops and then it gets worse," he explained.

Francisco spoke about his mental state at the time of the procedures.

"When I started to get operations, I knew that things were getting out of hand and that there were things that were not healthy for me," he said.

In the past, The Ricky Martin lookalike opened up about his shame at being diagnosed with obesity at the age of 12.

Francisco later noticed things were "getting out of hand" (Newsflash)
He recently learnt that it is best to "just be yourself" (Newsflash)

He said: "A year passed without me leaving my room."

Francisco claimed his overeating was his defence mechanism against his dad's violence, revealing that he still has "scars on his body from the blows he received."

He added: "I ate because I felt that the day my father wanted to kill me with a knife, he was not going to touch me because the fat was going to stop it, and he wasn't going to be able to kill me."

Ricky Martin performing during a concert at the main square in Mexico City in 2017 (AFP via Getty Images)

As to why his dad was so violent with him, he said: "I have been gay since I was a kid and that was his greatest torture.

"I will never forget the day that he found me, I was combing my sister's hair, and he grabbed an iron and broke it over my head."

These days, Francisco is a qualified ontological coach, specialising in neurosciences.

He gives online sessions, where he encourages his clients to "develop the best thing you have" and to "go on the right path".

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