Calista Flockhart admits to bout with anorexia

Published: January 20, 2021

Actress Calista Flockhart made headlines after she confessed to her stint with anorexia during the shooting of her hit show ‘Ally McBeal’. Initially, while the media had been speculating she must be suffering from an eating disorder, Calista blamed her small bone structure for her gaunt looks. The Emmy Award nominated actress was heavily criticized for her emaciated looks and she repeatedly denied suffering from anorexia.  In 2002, however, she admitted that she stopped eating due to her grueling schedule.

Talking about her tight and hectic ‘Ally McBeal’ routine, Calista once said, “At the time of all that, I was seriously stressed. I was working 15-hour days on the set and then I was dealing with the end of the show, which was basically my life.”

Ally, who now stars in ‘Brothers and Sisters’, was never surprised about the way she looked after experiencing eating disorder and said, “I have honestly never dieted in my life. My parents and friends tell me that I have always looked the same since high school. But during (Ally McBeal), when we were filming and working so hard, I became stressed and did not eat as much as I should.”

Expressing her doubt on whether ‘Ally McBeal’ is responsible for her bony looks, TV.com quotes the star as saying: “I’ve often wondered if I wasn’t on that show, anorexia may not have happened. I didn’t really know at that point what it was like to be a celebrity and the only people I knew at the time who had a similar experience where these women I worked with.”

And now when Flockhart recalls her brush with the media about her anorexia, she is unhappily quoted as saying, “I think, on a frame like mine, if I lose a few pounds, it makes a big difference. I hated every bit of attention on my weight and size. Even now, I can’t put into words what exactly happened.”

The sudden collapse of Calista on the set of ‘Ally McBeal’ raised a flurry of questions over her eating habits and now while talking about her thinness during the show, Flockhart said, “I started under-eating, over-exercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system. I guess I just didn’t find time to eat. I am much more healthy these days.”

Her ‘Ally McBeal’ co-star, Courtney Thorne-Smith, also suffered from anorexia while on the show.

Other celebrities who have suffered from eating disorders include Mary-Kate Olsen,Sharon OsbourneDaniel JohnsOprah Winfrey and Jane Fonda.

Image: Courtesy of PRphotos.com

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Published January 20, 2021 by in Celebrities
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4 Responses to “Calista Flockhart admits to bout with anorexia”

  1. Think You’re Alone?

    17. Jun, 2010

    [...] Van Damme Kate Beckinsdale Calista Flockart Mary-Kate [...]

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  2. lpicharsik

    07. Nov, 2010

    Calista Flockhart had an eating disorder? DUH!!!!!!!

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  3. Trish

    09. Jun, 2011

    Portia de Rossi ALSO suffered from anorexia while a castmate on Ally McBeal. It is bizarre that THREE members of the show’s cast were stricken with this severe debilitating illness while working on this show. something was very very wrong with that environment. Producer, director, hello?? doesn’t anyone notice what the hell is going on? This is the sickness of hollywood society and it’s still happening every single day.

    Reply to this comment
  4. [...] Fair point, but Flockhart swears swore she never had an eating disorder… Then admitted to having one.  [...]

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