Sarah Ferguson has spoken out many times about how proud she is of daughter Princess Eugenie following her scoliosis surgery, but it turns out the Duchess of York underwent her own complicated procedure.
READ: Sarah Ferguson reflects on Princess Eugenie's two weeks in hospital: 'I will never forget this'
In 2019, the mum-of-two revealed she had complex surgery on her feet to rejuvenate them after they were damaged in childhood. The Duchess went to the Bahamas to undergo regenerative stem cell therapy.
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"I think my toes were ruined by all the riding I did when I was young," Sarah Ferguson said. Her regenerating surgery involved the bone on her big toe being shaved.
MORE: Why Sarah Ferguson doesn't class Prince Andrew's mansion as 'home'
"Then they implanted stem cells — 20 million of them taken from my midriff — into my feet to make new cartilage," she continued.
The procedure takes a couple of weeks to recover from, and the effects tend to take up to six weeks to make themselves known, but the Duchess was thrilled with the procedure, saying she was able to walk perfectly in heels afterwards.
© Photo: Getty ImagesSarah Ferguson damaged her feet in her childhood
Regenerative stem cell therapy is designed to aid in the acceleration of healing and can be used to help people struggling with arthritis too.
READ: Sarah Ferguson makes touching comment about her grandchildren August and Sienna
The results from the procedure only tend to last a year, so it's likely the Duchess will need top-up sessions to keep herself pain-free.
© Photo: Getty ImagesSarah Ferguson can comfortably wear heels following surgery
Sarah has been open about other health struggles in the past, giving HELLO! an update on her mental health in August 2021.
"I did have and still have mental health issues, which I work at literally every day, I really do," she said. "And I have been in therapy for 24 years. Sometimes I talk to my therapist on a weekly basis, and then sometimes, when it gets really tough, I jump in and get a quick hit of trying to understand the negativity of the demons of my mind."
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