‘Unrecognizable’ Madonna looks like a ‘2000’ clone of herself

Madonna was her usual confrontational self at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, hailing all “rebels” and “troublemakers” — but it was her own age-defying rebellion that caught the most attention.

A source told The Post that the singer’s swollen face was the result of an obsession with her cheeks, adding: “She doesn’t realize it makes her look a bit like a caricature of herself.”

During the Grammys, social media was immediately ablaze with people saying they didn’t recognize the 64-year-old.

Piers Morgan infuriated Material Girl fans when he posted a photo of her to Twitter and asked dryly, “I thought Halloween was in October?” And Pete Burns – the singer of “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” from the 1980s, who spent so much money on cosmetic surgery he went bankrupt – was trending on Twitter as people compared Madonna’s face to his.

A source close to Madonna told the Post that part of the problem is that the singer doesn’t want to look any different than when she was in her prime – but by trying to stop nature’s progress, she’s almost unrecognizable.

“She wants to look like the 2000s Madonna and refers to herself in the third person,” said a source close to the legendary singer. “She’s very aware that her face is one of the most recognizable on the planet, so … she doesn’t want to be a cartoon version of herself.

“But she also wants the higher cheekbones she was famous for — and the best way to achieve that is with fillers.”

The source said Madonna’s cheeks have become a bit of a preoccupation for her.

“[She heard] that puffy cheeks hide the age lines and she’s obsessed with the idea,” the source said. “So the cheeks will be swollen even if people on the outside think it makes them look either weird or chubby.”

The singer also has a team on Skin Watch, the source added. “There is a makeup artist and a beautician on hand for a constant cycle of creams and facials to maintain her skin
look young.”

The Post has reached out to Madonna’s rep for comment.

Madonna has never addressed the rumors of cosmetic surgery, saying in 2012, “I’m certainly not against cosmetic surgery. But I am absolutely against having to discuss it.”

But a famous plastic surgeon, Dr. Leslie Stevens, of the Lasky Clinic in Beverly Hills, thinks she’s done her job.

“The most striking thing is the increase in fullness in her cheeks and chin, almost to a grotesque extent. This is probably not surgical, but more likely from bulking or possibly her own fat,” said Dr. Stevens, who didn’t treat Madonna, told The Post. “I think she had her side brows lifted and it looks like a lip lift was done along with lip fillers.

“It’s sad to see a natural beauty become so unnatural,” added Stevens, whose clients include Sharon Osbourne. “This could be a perfect example of a doctor going against their ethics and better judgment to retain a celebrity client.”

Friends say that Madonna, who has long been known for her clean and healthy lifestyle, is likely to be heartbroken by all the criticism about her looks because she wants to be attractive more than anything.

“She just wants to look good for her age,” the source said. “Although she likes to surround herself with young people because she likes to feed off their positivity and creative energy, she is conscious of her age. She has had problems with her leg and hip and her main focus is on being healthy and looking good. She has a grueling tour ahead of her and she knows it will be exhausting – she has deliberately spaced it out to allow time between dates to recover.”

Tickets for Madonna’s recently announced greatest hits tour, Celebration, sold out in minutes for 35 concerts.

“The tour is a celebration of her incredible career and that’s what she’s focused on the most,” the source said.