10 Hollywood stars who've spoken about their struggle with eating disorders

Richa Chadha spoke about her battle with eating disorders and body image recently. While these are issues many actresses face, most of them aren’t willing to talk about it. In Hollywood, however, many popular celebrities have spoken about their battles with disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Demi Lovato

Demi is one of those celebs who never denied her struggles with overcoming her eating disorder. She often shares her stories with her fans which ranged from being bipolar to battling bulimia. In an article she wrote, she said that she began overeating at a very young age and then almost stopped eating at the age of 12, as she was harassed by kids at school, for being “fat”. She acknowledges that her eating disorder will affect her for the rest of her life, but she is glad she got the help that she needed and now leads a happy and healthy life.

Kesha

Kesha’s fans were shocked when their idol checked herself into rehab for bulimia in 2014. In an recent interview she said, “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. It’s been quite a journey. I went to a dark place. There was a lot of not eating—and I started to think being hungry to the point of feeling almost faint was a positive thing.’ What made it worse was the fact that she got a lot of positive feedback for her slender frame. She said, “The worse it got, the more positive feedback I was getting. Inside I was really unhappy, but outside, people were like, “Wow, you look great.’”

Lindsay Lohan

The rumour of LiLo suffering from bulimia and anorexia began doing the rounds after she underwent massive weight loss in 2005. Though the actress denied it at that time, eventually she admitted in an interview to Vanity Fair that she was battling eating disorders. Everyone, from friends and family members to her former co-stars including Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who had worked with Lohan in Mean Girls, were concerned that the actress was getting too thin. When LiLo finally sought medical attention, she discovered she had a kidney infection. She did seek help and managed to win the battle.

Troian Bellisario

Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario spoke in the February 2014 issue of Seventeen, about her battles with being “perfect”. Troian began self-harming during her junior year of high school. “I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school,” she revealed. It was her friends who intervened and urged her to seek help. But it isn’t a battle that’s won instantly, the actress said. In an interview she admitted that some days are easier than others, but she strives on.

Lady Gaga

In 2014, Lady Gaga battled depression. But that wasn’t the only issue she dealt with. Along with depression, she also suffered from eating disorders. She managed to get over them and is good with food now. The singer is mighty proud that she could get over it. When she posted a photo of herself on Instagram that was criticised by many, she responded by tweeting, “I’d rather be fat than shallow.” Her fans supported her and she then launched a “body revolution” on Instagram. She wrote, “Proud at any size, because the inside is what really counts. Plus, it’s all how you pose! Just ask the supermodels!”

Jessica Alba

Jessica seemed to be picture perfect on the surface, but privately, she battled anorexia. She said, “Everyone in my family is heavily overweight and I wanted to be healthier, so I started cooking for myself when I was 12.“ However, her obsession spiraled into something far more dangerous, particularly when she preparing for Dark Angel. The actress was so obsessed with looking good for the role that she was working out for three hours every day and seriously cutting back on her eating. When her weight dropped to 100 pounds, she realised she had a problem. She later said that with treatment she conquered the fear that drove her to become thin.

Christina Ricci

Christina has admitted she had an eating disorder during the 90s. She said that the condition was triggered by something she saw on TV which made her think, “Ooh – anorexia. I could probably do that.” In an interview to a magazine, she later said, “It was a horrifying thing to do to a 14-year-old trying to cope with a devastating illness.” since then the actress has recovered and now looks healthy and happy.

Alanis Morissette 

Alanis Morissette had to face a lot of pressure when she stepped into the public domain. The singer struggled with anorexia when she was trying to get a break in to the music industry. She overcame her eating disorder by seeing a therapist.

Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul was seven when she began dancing. That was also the time she began feeling insecure about her muscular frame. She began binging, purging, and over-exercising. She checked herself into a mental health clinic in 1994. Since then not only has she worked on living a healthier life, but she has also has worked with the National Eating Disorder Association to encourage young women to seek help.

Portia de Rossi 

Portia first developed eating disorder early in her life. She went without eating for more than a week at the age of just 12 and was trying to make it as a model. In her 2011 memoir, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, Portia wrote that the dangerous habits from her early teen years resurfaced when she landed her first major role as Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal in 1998. The eating disorder saw her shrink to as little as 38 kilograms. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she admitted she lived on 300 calories a day and hid it from her castmates and friends. She also would take up to 20 laxatives a day. But the Scandal star managed to find acceptance within herself after falling in love with American comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, the couple marrying in 2008.