Lembit Opik Debuts New Jaw Following Life-Changing Surgery

Politician Lembit Opik has spoken out about the life-changing surgery he has had to correct his crooked jaw.

The Liberal Democrat MP showcased his new look on today’s episode of This Morning, admitting that he was finally feeling confident, with his wonky jaw always making him feel self-conscious in the past.

He explained to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “You might see a small amendment but to me it is a different face, it’s a stranger. You can tell the difference when you look from the side the most and my friends have really noticed it.

"I am seeing my mum for the first time since the operation today and I am sure she will notice. I have another op to go but it feels so different, for the first time in my life I have a straight face.”

The 50-year-old was born with a slightly asymmetric face by Lembit was left devastated when the deformation worsened following a paragliding accident at the age of 33, previously explaining: “I was unlucky to have the accident, and lucky to survive it.

“My injuries were so severe, the doctors and nurses at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where I was taken, didn’t notice I had a broken jaw for a week.”

“They wired it [his jaw] but it didn’t mend right, and basically my teeth haven’t met properly for the past 18 years. I’d been living on soft food for a long time. It was soup, beans, mash. Steak? Nuts? Forget it.”

His dependence on his back teeth to chew food meant that they had started to disintegrate, revealing earlier this year that he required urgent medical attention, with the surgery involving sawing through his jawbone and re-positioning it - fixing it into its new position with titanium plates.

Lembit explained: “Basically they cut bottom of my face off and put it back on.”

And he still has a long way to go, adding: “This is just the first op, the big one. But there’ll be another one to refine the shape of my chin, and some more dental work.

"It’ll be another two years before the journey is over. I don’t regret it for a minute and I’d advise anyone in my position not to wait until your teeth are crumbling.”

It’ll all be worth it in the end, Lembit - we’re glad that you’re already feeling so much better.