Naya‘s eating disorder started developing while she was in middle school, as she found anorexia to be a coping mechanism while her parents’ relationship dwindled and her career stalled. The 29-year-old admitted that being anorexic first started out as a “game,” but by the time she reached her sophomore year of high school, things had maybe gone too far.
“I just avoided foot at all costs,” Naya wrote in her forthcoming autobiography, Sorry Not Sorry, excerpted by People. “One day I was so hungry I was shaking, and I decided to eat an apple. Instead, I just sat there and held it up to my mouth. I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite. It was like the two sides of my brain were competing, one telling me to ‘eat it, it’s just an apple,’ and the other telling me ‘no, no, no–that’ll ruin everything.'”
Naya didn’t go into detail about the turning point that helped her overcome her eating disorder, but it seems the apple scenario was a bit of a wakeup call. Although the actress told the mag she still struggled with her body image after that, the anorexia battle was over by the end of high school.
Fast forward to 2016. Naya is healthy, married (she and actor Ryan Dorsey wed in July 2014), and raising an adorable 11-month-old son named Josey. Naya gained about 60 lbs while she was pregnant with Josey, but didn’t let her body image issues return. Instead, she quickly hired a trainer to help her get back into shape and dropped the weight in no time!
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While Naya hasn’t said much about how she feels about her body today, just looking at her Instagram and seeing her on the red carpet is enough to know that she’s pretty darn confident. She’s even referred to herself as a MILF! We think Naya is looking amazing these days, and we’re so happy to hear that she was able to overcome such a serious struggle!
HollywoodLifers, are you glad Naya opened up about her anorexia? Were you shocked by her story? Tell us below!
