Nigella Lawson shows off her bunions Down Under

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:48 PM on 20th April 2011

As Britain’s Domestic Goddess, Nigella Lawson is heralded as a role model for curvier ladies.

But despite her voluptuous figure and superb cooking skills, even Miss Lawson has some flaws.

The celebrity cook, 51, was spotted showing off her rather painful looking bunions as she shopped in Sydney yesterday.

Ouch: Nigella Lawson’s bulging bunions were clearly visible as she shopped in Sydney yesterday

Protruding: Lawson’s decision to wear FitFlops was wise given her prominent bunions

Wearing a pair of silver sequinned FitFlops, the swelling joints were clearly visible as she visited stores in the Bondi area of the city.

It appears years of wearing high heels have taken their toll on Lawson’s feet.

The mother-of-two has long been a fan of towering stilettos – even admitting to wearing them in the bedroom as part of her seduction technique.

A bunion is a bony bump at the base of the big toe joint. This becomes painfully inflamed when shoes rub against it – a problem made worse by high heels which throw the body weight forward.

Taking care of her feet: Lawson was wearing a pair of FitFlops – which claim to ‘help realign ground force reaction closer to your joints’

A bunionectomy can be offered to correct it, which involves the surgeon cutting into the toe joint then re-aligning the toe bone and securing it with screws.

Such a procedure would mean taking time off from work and the patient isn’t allowed to wear heels for months.

Lawson isn’t alone – Victoria Beckham and Oprah Winfrey are just a few of a host of stars who suffer from the swelling of the foot joint.

After years in towering heels, Beckham had very prominent bunions on both feet.

Chillaxing: Earlier that day, Lawson relaxed on Bondi Beach with a friend

But last year, she played down how painful they were: ‘The attention on my feet really was embarrassing. I think I’ll have to have the surgery, but I’ve heard it’s most painful.

‘They touched it up to make it look worse. If my feet were as bad as all that, I wouldn’t be able to wear these fabulous shoes by Brian Atwood.’

Lawson has been in Australia since last month where she had been promoting her books and also appearing on the country’s version of Masterchef.

Earlier this week, she was photographed covered up in a burkini on the beach to protect her porcelain skin from the potential damage from the hole in Australia’s ozone layer.

Cover up: Lawson drew stares as she wore a burkini on Bondi Beach earlier this week