Celebrities With Anorexia6

Many celebrities have suffered from anorexia. Some

willingly shared their stories, while others had their

struggles exposed by the media.

Several celebrities have said that their eating disorders

arose from pressures in the music and entertainment

industries to maintain a certain body image.

Lady GagaLady Gaga revealed her struggles with

anorexia and bulimia in 2012. She

admitted she had suffered from the two

since age 15. She started a foundation

called Born This Way, which connects

young people with resources to improve

their body image and self-esteem. [1]

1

KeshaKesha also struggled with anorexia,

saying, “I felt like part of my job was

to be as skinny as possible.” She

reportedly went to rehab for the

eating disorder in 2014 and came out

with a new acceptance of herself. [2]

2

Hilary DuffThe actress who played Lizzie

McGuire admits to suffering from an

eating disorder in her teens. She

reports being too thin, struggling to

eat, and suffering from hand cramps

due to a lack of nutrients. [3]

3

Calista FlockhartThe “Ally McBeal” TV star admitted that

she had anorexia during the filming of

the show in the late 1990s. “I started

under-eating, over-exercising, pushing

myself too hard and brutalizing my

immune system.” [4]

4

Alanis MorissetteAlanis reportedly suffered from

anorexia and bulimia when she was

trying to break into the music scene.

She attributes her recovery to going to

therapy and educating herself about

nutrition. She is also a proponent of

mindfulness meditation and yoga. [5, 6]

5

Portia de RossiIn her book, Unbearable Lightness, de

Rossi reports struggling with an eating

disorder since she was 12 years old. She

admits that in early 2000 she weighed

82 pounds and ate 300 calories a day.

She finally got help after her brother

confronted her about the illness. [7]

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Sources[1]. USA Today. Lady Gaga admits she battles bulimia, anorexia. September 26, 2012.[2]. Grow, K. Kesha Opens Up About Her Eating Disorder and Experience in Rehab. Rolling Stone, July 11, 2014. [3]. Toomey, A. Hilary Duff Weighed 98 Pounds as a Teenager: “I Was Obsessed With Everything I Put in My Mouth.” E News, November 13, 2014. [4]. Mirror Online. Calista Flockhart Exclusive: I Did Have an Eating Disorder. April 7, 2006.[5]. Felts, S. How Alanis Morissette Beat Her Eating Disorder. Health, November 20, 2009.[6]. Abber, C. Alanis Morissette Opens Up About Life After an Eating Disorder. Women’s Health, August 21, 2015. [7]. Katrandjian, O. Portia de Rossi: “I Would Starve Myself Daily.” ABC News, November 3, 2010.

Image CreditsAll images were taken via Wikimedia Commons.Lady Gaga — By Marcen27 [CC BY-SA 2.0]Kesha — By Becky Sullivan [CC BY 2.0]Hilary Duff — By David Shankbone [CC BY-SA 3.0]Calista Flockhart — By Mireille Ampilhac [CC BY-SA 2.0]Alanis Morisette — By Justin Higuchi [CC BY 2.0]Portia de Rossi — By Pulicciano [CC BY-SA 2.0]