The Sad Tragedy Behind Lyn May's Success – Rumored Romance with a President, Difficult Childhood, Personal Struggles, and Bad Facial Injections

The exotic dancer dazzled with her beauty and screen presence, but behind her brilliance lay a difficult past, turbulent romances, and decisions that marked her face forever.

Lyn May was one of the most impactful figures of Mexican cinema and stage. Her figure, features, and charisma made her a renowned vedette throughout Latin America.

Years later, she re-entered the public eye, but the news was no longer about her artistic brilliance. Instead, it focused on decisions that had irreversibly changed her image.

Furthermore, what seemed like a life of applause and glamor actually hid complicated chapters that are still discussed and analyzed today. This is her story, in her own words.

A Difficult Childhood and Her First Marriage

The vedette, whose real name is Lilia Guadalupe Mendiola Mayares, was born in Acapulco in 1952. From a young age, she helped support her family by selling souvenirs to tourists. Later, she worked as a waitress, where she met an American sailor 30 years her senior, who would become her husband.

She moved with him to Mexico City, and they had two daughters. But as she recounted on the show “El Minuto Que Cambió Mi Destino (The Minute That Changed My Destiny),” she endured an abusive marriage.

"I was just a little girl when I went to Mexico. I was working at the market selling things and met a handsome sailor. When you want to get out of poverty, you look for an escape. He told me, 'I'm going to show you Mexico; it's very beautiful.' I told him, 'Okay,' and I went with him. I was just a young girl," she said.

Later, she added, “The guy beat me a lot to make me lose my baby because he didn’t want children. He already had older children. He was about 40 years old.” After five years, she left him and returned to Acapulco.

Her Early Days in Cabaret and Her Leap to Fame

Back in her hometown, she worked as a dancer at "El Zorro," as well as a waitress and in beauty salons. Her artistic career took off when she appeared on the show "Siempre en Domingo (Always on Sunday)," one of the most influential on Latin American television.

Her performance caught the attention of businessman Enrique Lombardini, who invited her to the Esperanza Iris theater. There, she initially faced rejection from the audience for not undressing, but soon adapted to the burlesque style. It was then that she was given the title of "Lyn May: The Goddess of Love."

Throughout the '70s and '80s, she appeared in successful films like "Tívoli," "Las ficheras (The Cabaret Girls)," and "Noches de cabaret (Cabaret Nights)," solidifying her position as one of the most popular vedettes in the country. Despite not having professional dance training, she stood out for her stage presence.

Her Face Before the Cosmetic Procedures

At her peak, she was considered one of the most attractive women in the Mexican entertainment industry. Her sharp features, dark hair, and confidence made her a pop culture sex symbol.

She meticulously cared for her appearance because it was vital for her career. However, the image she built during this period would later clash with the irreversible changes she made to her face.

Botched Procedures and Her Facial Transformation

In the '90s, she sought to accentuate her cheekbones and jawline through collagen injections. However, as she explained on "Ventaneando (Windowing)," she was the victim of a scam.

"They take advantage of you because you're young and inexperienced. They injected me with cooking oil and baby oil. I mean, they tell you it's collagen, but it's not collagen; they tell you it's the best to get money from you, but it isn't," the artist said.

The effects weren't immediate, but they began to appear a short time later. "You start to feel these little things that prick and itch. Then you start to feel the little balls; one pops up over here, and another one over there. They're like marbles, they're hard," she continued.

She tried multiple corrective procedures, some in the United States, but the damage couldn't be completely reversed.

"I've spent a lot of time in many doctors' offices looking for a solution to my problem. I've been to the United States, I've suffered a lot. I wanted to kill myself, I didn't want to go out. Of all the things that have happened in my career, my life, this is one of the ugliest things I've been through," she confessed.

Lyn has been working with a doctor who is currently helping her remove the remaining balls, although the process is still ongoing.

Her Romantic Relationships and Personal Moments

After separating from the American sailor, she married Antonio Chi Su in 1989, and they opened a Chinese restaurant in Mexico City. In 2004, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and passed away in 2008.

Years later, in an interview, the actress revealed that she exhumed her husband's body. "He was my partner, I lived with him for 25 years. I didn't want to let him go. I loved him very much, I dug him up. I slept with him," she confessed.

She added that her mother opposed this decision, "My mom can tell you, she told me every night to let him rest... I would say, 'No, I'm not going to let him go.'" Later, her mother managed to convince her to let him go, but she never specified how long she lived with the remains or how she managed to overcome that grief.

Lyn also claimed to have had a romance with a former Mexican president, although she never revealed his name. It has been speculated that it could have been José López Portillo, but she never confirmed it. In 2008, she married the producer Guillermo Calderón Stell, who passed away in 2018.

Her Controversial Pregnancy at 68

In August 2021, the exotic dancer surprised everyone on Instagram by announcing that she was pregnant with her 29-year-old fiancé, Markos D's, child. "I'm very happy to announce that I'm three months pregnant and Markos D1 is very happy that he's going to be a dad," she wrote.

She even shared an ultrasound with an estimated due date of January 12, 2022. Markos, whose real name is Marcos Hernández, later declared that they were not in a stable relationship:

"It was a curious thing for me, because I went to Mexico to the Pepsi Center for an event we were invited to. We drank. I drank so much that I don't even know what happened that night. It was crazy."

He added that he started receiving messages on Instagram saying, "Congratulations, you're going to be a dad," without her telling him first. Later on, she confessed to him that it had all been part of a publicity stunt for her farewell tour.

The Public's Reaction to Her Story

Her story generated many comments on social media, with some netizens expressing empathy and understanding:

"So many people judging her without knowing, it's truly a shame how little empathy they have. For your information, they injected OIL IN HER FACE in an act of medical negligence when they told her they were going to give her a collagen treatment. That caused not only a lot of swelling and pain but also little balls that she's had to remove one by one. It was absolutely not her vanity running wild. Before you judge, get informed and don't act like you have a monopoly on the absolute truth," commented an Instagrammer.

"Poor thing, how she must have suffered," added another person. "A friend did this. They tricked her into getting the injections and then injected poison into her face claiming it was something else. She survived but wanted to unalive herself from the way it left her face. She's had innumerous surgeries to correct the damage but nothing could return her face to what it was. She's lived through the depression for a long time barely hanging on. Now she still performs. Her body is TEA 🍵 even at 70+. And she continues to spread awareness about what she went through [sic]," someone else recounted.

She also received praise during her appearance on "El Minuto Que Cambió Mi Destino (The Minute That Changed My Destiny)."

"Lyn May, what a brave woman. Getting hit while pregnant, she brought up her daughters and everything she did was to give them a better life. She's a real woman who speaks her mind," a YouTuber said.

"What a brave, exemplary woman. An example of how to get ahead despite the suffering. God bless you, Lin May," added another. "Very good interview with this legendary vedette who suffered a lot in her childhood and got ahead for her family, and remembers without holding any grudges and giving a lot to others. That's why her fans support her to this day!" another comment expressed.

Upcoming Biographical Series

Additionally, Lyn announced that her life will be adapted into a biographical series, which will explore her love life, her relationships with influential figures in Mexican politics and society, her time in cabarets, as well as the rise and fall of Mexico's nightlife.

This production will also address the cosmetic damage she sustained and how that event influenced her career and her public perception.