Jane Fonda is opening up about a scary time in her life — something no one saw behind the façade of Hollywood glamor.
The actress, activist, model, and fitness guru has had a wildly successful career, to say the least. From her multiple Academy Award wins to cornering the home workout market for YEARS, the 85-year-old continues to be a trailblazer to this day — even when it comes to her blatant honesty.
While appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast Wednesday, the 80 for Brady star got candid about her early days in Hollywood — and the debilitating disorder she believed was going take her life:
“In my 20s I was starting to be a movie actor. I suffered from bulimia very, very bad. I led a secret life. I was very, very unhappy. I assumed I wouldn’t live past 30.”
Wow, what a terrifying outlook. What she was doing to herself turned her life into the opposite of what viewers of films like Walk On The Wild Side or Cat Ballou probably pictured. She continued:
“I didn’t go out. I didn’t hardly date because I was unhappy and I had this eating disorder. And then I was also making movies that I didn’t very much like.”
She told host Alex Cooper that while the eating disorder seemed “so innocent” and “so innocuous” at first, it eventually began to “take over” every aspect of her life:
“It harms the way you look. You end up looking tired. It becomes impossible to have an authentic relationship when you’re doing this secretly. Your day becomes organized around getting food and then eating it, which requires that you’re by yourself and that no one knows what you’re doing.”
The Barbarella lead added:
“It’s a very lonely thing. And you’re addicted. If you put any food in you, you want to get rid of it.”
So disheartening, and sadly the reality for so many to this day. The disorder stayed with Fonda through her 30s, fueled by the pressure from Hollywood and her family. However, as she entered her 40s, she began to feel “worse and worse,” and she remembered thinking:
“If I keep on like this, I’m going to die.”
From that point on, she gained perspective over how “important” her children, love life, and career were — and made the challenging decision to quit “cold turkey.” She explained:
“I didn’t realize there were groups you could join. I didn’t know anything about that. Nobody talked about it! I didn’t even know there was a word for it. It was really hard. But the fact is, the more distance you can put between you and the last binge, then the better it is. It becomes easier and easier.”
The Monster-in-Law actress added that while she didn’t turn to anyone for help, she did find meditation as a useful tool in her recovery:
“A lot of the cause of it was anxiety-driven, and Prozac helped me deal with anxiety. And then, gradually, I just stopped doing it.”
So scary for Jane! We’re so glad she was able to get through it, and come out the other end thriving! We hope her story gives power to those who may be going through similar situations. See a snippet from the interview (below):
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If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, there is help available. Consider visiting https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ or call their hotline at (800)-931-2237 for resources.
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