TUGGING a thick woolly jumper over her enormous chest, Rochielle Parkes didn’t care that it was hot and sunny outside.
She’d do anything to hide away her 36GG boobs which had caused her 17 years of intolerable pain and torment.
Rochielle, 33, endured almost two decades of unwanted abuse purely because of the size of her boobs and alarmingly, she was even followed in the street by men trying to take photos.
Worse still, her boobs grew so big they started to bleed.
The physical pain she felt was like having “knives” around her neck.
She says: “Every second of the day felt like there was a knife like pain around my shoulder and neck area.
“I wore lots of jumpers to cover myself up – even in the summer.
“I’d only wear more revealing stuff in the garden or just in the comfort of my own home.”
To ward off unwanted attention and get rid of the constant pain, Rochielle underwent a breast reduction.
Rochielle, who lives just outside of Coventry in the Midlands, got her ‘dream boobs’ in time for her wedding to husband Daniel, also 33, which took place in the Philippines in February 2023.
Speaking exclusively now, as a 34C cup, she says her life has been hugely transformed – but it’s long overdue.
Mortifying moment
Aged 11, the property developer was already a 34C and by the time she started high school, she’d grown to a double D cup.
Explaining how she didn’t feel “normal” compared to the other girls in her class, Rochielle, who was born in the Philippines and moved to the UK when she was eight years old, recalls one mortifying moment from her childhood.
“Growing up I was quite a sporty kind of girl so I enjoyed playing football,” she says.
“When I was in year six I was the only girl in a team of boys when one of the girls brought me to the side and said, ‘I think you should stop playing football because you need to start wearing a bra’.”
Despite trying to laugh it off, Rochielle was so embarrassed by the comment she asked her mum if she could be fitted for her first bra – a conversation she admits she wasn’t ready for.
“I remember thinking I don’t want to be wearing a bra,” says Rochielle, who quit playing football shortly afterwards.
“It felt like I was growing up, and I just didn’t want to grow up that quickly.”
Followed and snapped
And what followed was years of more unwanted attention, this time from the opposite sex.
Alarmingly, at 15, and during a family holiday to Disneyland Paris, male tourists began taking photos of her chest.
“I was just wearing a nice red, feminine dress when I was followed,” Rochielle recalls.
“My mum was with me and there was a guy with a camera following us around…it was shocking.”
Hiding away
Unsavoury attention continued to plague Rochielle and she covered up her body in turtlenecks and baggy jumpers no matter the weather.
She wanted to “hide in her shell” and it began to affect other parts of her life too.
“I never actually went out on a girl’s night out at university,” she reveals.
“I’ve never been out clubbing….I’ve always just stayed at home.”
An enormous pain in her neck
By then, Rochielle’s breasts had grown to a size 36GG and she started suffering from debilitating neck pain.
Desperate for help, she visited her GP to discuss a breast reduction, but was left disappointed when they told her to come back at 21, once she’d fully grown.
But when she did go back to ask again, Rochielle was told that while she was eligible for a reduction via the NHS, it would cover just one breast – meaning she’d have to find the money to pay for the other.
“I was shocked,” she explains. “I just remember thinking, ‘what am I going do with the other one?’
“Obviously a breast reduction is several thousands of pounds and there’s no way I would’ve been able to fund that straight after university.”
Getting a second – and third – opinion, Rochielle was also told to lose weight, despite being a clothes size 14.
“[It’s scary] because you don’t know where these photos are going end up and it just makes you feel violated because they haven’t asked for your permission.
Rochielle, 33
By this point, it wasn’t just Rochielle who was suffering, but also Daniel, who she has been in a relationship with for 16 years.
She recalls numerous occasions where she’d be walking along holding his hand and men would openly shout obscenities at them.
Even a simple shopping trip to Asda saw her subjected to a tirade of abuse.
Rochelle says: “There have been times where we’d just go out to Asda and cars have driven near us and people have shouted ‘get your t**s out’.”
Blood-stained tops
Rochielle recalls another time when the pair were on a day trip to a theme park while holidaying in Hong Kong.
“I was wearing a white T-shirt which was appropriate for the weather – it wasn’t too revealing,” she says.
“And then my husband said: ‘This group of guys have been following us and they keep staring at you.'”
Desperately trying to escape the men’s glare, they headed straight to a different area, but continued to be followed by the group.
“Being such shy people, we had to ignore it and just walk away,” Rochielle says.
“[It’s scary] because you don’t know where these photos are going to end up and it just makes you feel violated because they haven’t asked for your permission.”
Worse still, Rochielle recalls the moment Daniel pointed out red marks on her top, which he assumed was spilt ketchup.
“I actually had breast sores underneath my boobs so I’d be so self conscious,” says Rochielle, who feared it would happen in public.
Wedding planning
Rochielle started to think she’d have to ‘put up’ with her large chest, and when Daniel proposed, she expected to wear a dress on her wedding day to conceal it.
Hiring a dress designer, wedding planner and event organiser, there was no expense spared. However, when Rochielle was told by the dress maker that her breasts were so large, she’d have to wear one of her “normal” bras on her big day, Rochielle was determined to have her breasts reduced.
She started watching YouTube videos of breast reduction procedures and came across Mark Solomos, one of the UK’s leading surgeons in the area.
Mark, who most recently appeared on Olivia Attwood‘s ITV series ‘The Price of Perfection’ agreed to do the surgery in January 2023 – just five weeks before Rochielle’s wedding day.
She paid around £9k for the surgery and Rochielle was thrilled with the results.
Just two weeks post-surgery, Rochielle, who had gone from a size 20 on top down to a size 12, flew to the Philippines – the venue for the couple’s nuptials – for her dress fitting.
Recalling the moment she tried on the dress she’d had made prior to surgery, she says: “It didn’t fit my body anymore.
I used to take the bus to the tube station because I didn’t feel comfortable walking down that street
Rochielle Parkes
“It was actually drowning me rather than making me feel like a bride.”
Despite being on a tight time frame, the designer agreed to make a new “more revealing” gown that even allowed Rochielle to go bra less – and it was perfect for her new figure, too.
And now, she has a brand new happiness.
“When I had a large chest, I was always looking down….I didn’t really look at people because I wanted to avoid that kind of eye contact,” she explains.
“I walk home from work now whereas I used to take the bus to the tube because I didn’t feel comfortable walking down that street.”
How to get the right bra for you
Priya Downes, founder and CEO of lingerie brand Nudea gave her top tips..
UNDERBAND: This is crucial for support.
It should feel seamless against your skin, resting in a straight line.
Now, try to put two fingers under the band – there should be just enough room, leaving you with a perfectly snug fit.
CUPS: You don’t want them too tight, with your boobs bulging over the top or out the side.
And you really don’t want gaping between the cup and the top of your breast.
Neither is a good look under your clothes.
CENTRE FRONT: The wiring that curves up between your breasts should lay flat against your breastbone without any discomfort or rogue wire poking out
Not only that, but she’s also able to wear clothes she could only dream of before.
“My fashion has changed dramatically…I feel more feminine by having a smaller chest and people have noticed a change to my social media photos,” she says.
“That’s because before a of my photos would be taken from the back so all you would see is literally my hair, and now I’m taking a lot more photos from the front and showing off my body.
“I’m definitely more confident.”
