9 Ridiculous Urban Legends We All Believed

Rib removal is a medical procedure that, in some situations can be used if the rib could cause greater harm. Widespread rumours about the procedure being used for cosmetic reasons have circulated since 1931, when corset-maker Rosa Binner alleged that French actress Polaire had had her lowest rib removed in the 1890s.

Given the lack of evidence supporting this claim - combined with the danger of any surgery in that era - it's highly unlikely that she actually did have the procedure, but modern-day celebrities have access to much better healthcare.

One such celeb is shock-rock superstar, Marilyn Manson. After police witnessed the musician performing oral sex to a fake penis on stage, the rumour mill started spinning. Somehow, the stage antic morphed into stories of Manson performing the act upon himself and given the artist's reputation, no-one had cause to question it.

When Manson took a short break as his career started to peak, rumours circulated that he had undertaken the procedure to remove some of his ribs in order to perform on himself.

The artist hasn't actually disproved the theory, the closest he came to addressing it was when answering a fan question on the subject, to which he responded “No comment. Keith, you c**t”.