Bec Zacharia among ten influencers flown to Bali to undergo rib repositioning surgery
After weeks of back and forth, an Australian reality TV contestant has revealed they went under the knife in Bali for a controversial procedure.
Former Married at First Sight contestant Bec Zacharia, who stood out in the 2026 season of the series, confirmed to her followers that she had rib repositioning surgery in the area that is a center of attention for tourists.
He shared a video with his 100,000 Instagram followers on Tuesday night, explaining that he was facing a delay in the operation, which involved relocating four ribs.
“I lied to you, I haven’t had surgery yet; I’m in Bali, it’s been almost three weeks,” he said.
“There are delays in life that I cannot control, but today is the day… I will actually take you with me.”
The MAFS star is seen arriving at the Bali clinic in the clip, receiving IV fluids from nurses and then entering the operating theater with two medical staff.
The video then shows the 35-year-old woman recovering in bed after rib surgery.
“I’m out of surgery, everything went very well… this is what I look like,” she told the camera, showing off her medical corset.
“The pain is probably a 3 out of 10 right now. I’m comfortable. The hospital was incredible and now it’s about making sure I take you along on the journey of my results.”
“There was a delay but it was worth it. I’m in bed and you’ll see me in a corset for the next 12 weeks.”
The big update comes just a week after the reality star sensationally recovered from surgery, telling the MAFS Funny podcast that she was “taking a step back to think about it”.
“I’m not ready yet, I don’t know if I’ll be ready, I don’t know if I can keep going,” he told host Josh Fox.
But Bec Zacharia wasn’t the only Australian to travel to Bali to undergo the controversial procedure.
She was part of a group of ten influencers, including MAFS bride Awhina Rutene and Bachelorette star Monique Morley, who were invited to visit the Indonesian island and get her ribs reshaped.
“I was invited to Bali by Snatched Bel as part of their influencer collaboration,” Bec, 35, said. Women’s Day.
Rutene, a Western Australian mother-of-one, was also included in the trip but had to withdraw from the procedure at the last minute.
Morley had surgery on Tuesday and told her Instagram followers that the surgery is “basically like Invisalign for your teeth.”
Although the group’s trip was footed by the clinic, Bec insisted on the podcast that she felt no obligation to go under the knife.
“The company that brought me here is not pressuring me by saying, ‘You need to work this out.’ I have full authority to make that decision about whether it is something that is right for me,” he said.
What is rib reconstruction?
Rib remodeling, also known as rib reshaping, is a cosmetic procedure that involves breaking the lower ribs and repositioning them to achieve a smaller waist.
Under general anesthesia, surgeons drill two holes in the patient’s back before using a device called a piezotome to vibrate and weaken the bone.
When the bone weakens, the surgeon will apply pressure to break the outer layer before repositioning the bone to reduce waist width.
Following the procedure, patients must wear a compression garment for several months until their ribs heal into their new position.
At the Snatched Waist clinic, surgeons offer a RibXCar variation of the procedure that is said to be less invasive.
Rib remodeling is not legal in Australia; The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Medical Board of Australia warn that the procedure carries many risks.
Australian medical experts have also raised concerns about the novelty of the procedure, with one surgeon saying: Sydney Morning Herald There is a lack of long-term data on the procedure, and the limited data available is concerning.
Vice-president of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Physicians, Dr. “Lower ribs are not just cosmetic structures,” Ricky Sia said.
“Published data on rib reshaping procedures indicate actual complications, including lung collapse, nerve injury, infection, and poor bone healing, occurring in a significant minority of cases. The literature itself notes that long-term effects on respiratory mechanics have not been well studied.”
Many Australians seeking to have their ribs repositioned have instead chosen to travel to Bali, where there is less stringent regulatory control over cosmetic surgeries.
The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons has warned Australians against traveling abroad for such risky procedures.
“While many highly skilled and trained surgeons practice around the world, Australians traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery are often traveling into the unknown and will be under the care of a foreign healthcare system that may not be easy to navigate, especially if something goes wrong,” the organization warned.
“ASPS has safety-based concerns about cosmetic tourism and the risks associated with the practice and warns Australians not to consider having surgery abroad.”
