Christina Applegate discloses her past battle with an eating disorder: "For years, I withheld food from myself"
In her podcast "MeSsy", which she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate opened up about her lifelong battle with "body dysmorphia". This condition began for her in her teenage years and has never truly gone away.
She recalled how, when playing Kelly Bundy on "Married With Children", she purposefully chose to wear tight-fitting costumes to accentuate her bones. This decision ultimately led to a more severe struggle with her body image.
"I wanted my bones to poke through," Applegate said. "It was just the way I lived. If I did eat something, I'd punish myself. I deprived myself of food for years and years. It's like I was torturing myself."
The individual's body image issues prompted some concern from the show's cast and crew. "It was very frightening for everyone on set," she recalled. "They spoke to me about it."
Applegate confessed that she battled an eating disorder throughout her twenties, but the "demons" still reappear. As an example, she cited her experience at the Emmys earlier this year.
As she took the stage, walking with a cane due to her MS diagnosis, the audience rose to their feet in a standing ovation for Applegate. After taking in the moment, she joked about her appearance, saying "body not by Ozempic," referencing the drug commonly used to manage chronic conditions.
On the podcast, Applegate admitted to making these jokes at the awards show because she felt the need to address the audience's thoughts. "I had to say, 'I know what you're thinking,'" she revealed.
Although it's difficult to share her health experiences, Applegate and Sigler felt it crucial to discuss their struggles in order to "take some power away from it". Both actresses have been candid about their physical problems in recent times, with Applegate using the "MeSsy" podcast to share her journey living with MS alongside Sigler, who has endured an eating disorder for over two decades.
Read also:
- Lifestyle 2023 from "Breathless" to cinnamon buns
- Unanimous decision: faster wolf culls possible
- New Year's Eve fireworks: What applies in other countries?
- Ban on New Year's Eve fireworks: no bangs here
Applegate discusses how her struggle with body image and an eating disorder during her time on "Married With Children" led to her purposefully choosing to wear tight-fitting costumes to emphasize her bones, affecting her health significantly. To cope, she would deprive herself of food for years, a form of self-punishment.
In her current podcast "MeSsy," Applegate and her co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler openly discuss their personal health challenges, including entertainment-related body image issues, aiming to take away some power from these struggles and inspiring others facing similar challenges.
Source: edition.cnn.com
