By Peter McLaren-Kennedy • 04 February 2023 • 8:07
Jane Fonda - Image Serge Rocco / Shutterstock.com
Fonda, who recently announced that she has cancer, spoke openly on a podcast released on Saturday, February 4 about her battle with bulimia.
The 85-year-old told host Alex Cooper that she has had to survive many dark times as she fought the addiction.
She said “I was very, very unhappy. I assumed I wouldn’t be older than 30.
“I hardly dated because I was unhappy and had this eating disorder. And then I made films that I didn’t particularly like.”
She continued saying that bulimia then took over her life, with every waking thought about the disorder and what it meant to her and the life she was leading.
She continued saying: “It’s a very lonely thing. And you are addicted. When you eat something, you want to get rid of it.”
But she said, shortly before her 40th birthday she realised that she had to deal with the problem saying: “If I continue like this, I will die.”
At the time bulimia was not something that was openly discussed and that meant that she had to go through “cold withdrawal” and alone. She added: “Nobody talked about it!”
Fonda says that her eating disorder was largely driven by anxiety saying: “Much of the cause was anxiety-driven, and Prozac [a drug] helped me deal with the anxiety. Then I just stopped.”
Bulimia affects many young girls a large proportion of whom suffer from anxiety. Jane Fonda released many fitness videos and has been revered for keeping herself in shape. Revealing that she has suffered from a lifelong eating disorder and in secret will hopefully help others to seek support.
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Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at [email protected]
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