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Hilary Duff dealt with an eating disorder during her years as a teen superstar. The How I Met Your Father star, 35, opened up about her past issues with food and body dysmorphia in a new interview for Women’s Health Australia, revealing she dealt with an eating disorder for about a year when she was 17.
The Disney Channel star explained how being an actress had an impact on her self-image and mental health. She told them, “Because of my career path, I can’t help but be like, “I am on camera and actresses are skinny.” It was horrifying.”
Hilary’s been on camera almost as long as she can remember. She was a breakout star in 1998’s Casper Meets Wendy and then starred in the hit Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire, which ran for two seasons from 2001 to 2004 and inspired a 2003 feature film.
Nowadays, the mother of three has come to terms with her body and feels stronger than ever. (Daughter Mae James is just 20 months old, while daughter Banks Violet is 4, and son Luca is 10, meaning she’s on the go all the time.)
“[I’m] appreciating my health, doing activities that make me feel strong instead of just bettering the outside of my body,” Hilary said. “Spending time with people that make me feel good and share similar views on health and body positivity and getting enough sleep and balance in my diet.”
The A Cinderella Story star was pure confidence back in May when she posed in the buff for Women’s Health. In the accompanying article, she said, “I’m proud of my body. I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through.”
“I think that at 34 I have just gained a lot of respect for my body. It’s taken me all of the places I need to go. It’s helped me build a beautiful family. I feel like the older I get, the more confident I get in my own skin. And my body’s been many different shapes and sizes and I’m really just fascinated by, one, being a woman. And two, all the changes that your body can go through throughout your lifetime.”
