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Jane Fonda, 85, battled a severe eating disorder when she was younger that forced her into isolation and left her feeling she was living a double life. While she never thought she would survive until 30, the actress reached her 40s still embroiled in her disorder, which is when she moved to put an end to it.
Jane first rose to fame with a string of hit films in the sixties, when the actress was in her late 20s.
However, before fame, the star had been struggling with a secret battle against eating disorders for much of her young life.
In the depths of her disorder, the actress even thought she “wouldn’t live past 30”.
Speaking to Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Jane confessed her battle with bulimia that spanned well over a decade.
The actress felt she was living a “secret life” due to the disorder and was “very, very unhappy” with her work and personal life at the time.
She shared: “I didn’t go out. I hardly dated because I was unhappy.
“I was also making movies that I didn’t very much like.”
Jane explained that at the start her disorder had seemed “innocuous”, but soon became a “terrible addiction” that dictated her life and her self esteem.
She continued: “It harms the way you look. You end up looking tired.”
“Your day becomes organised around getting food and then eating it, which requires that you’re by yourself and that no one knows what you’re doing.”
The actress also claimed that the bulimia caused difficulties in her romantic life as well, explaining that it was “impossible to have an authentic relationship when you’re doing this secretly.”
As Jane aged, reaching not just 30 but 40 as well against her expectations, her battle took an even greater “toll” on her life.
She added: “It takes days, and then at least a week, to get over one single binge. And it’s not just the fatigue, you become angry, you become hostile.”
When Jane reached her 40s, she recalled thinking: “If I keep on like this, I’m going to die.”
At the time, the Grace and Frankie star “didn’t even know there was a word” for what she was struggling with, let alone how to get help.
Taking charge, the actress decided to confront her bulimia by herself and went “cold turkey”.
She continued: “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 Barbarella star kept her bulimia private for a few more decades, before opening up on her struggle publicly for the first time in December 2022 on an episode of The Checkup With Dr David Agus.
Call Her Daddy is available to listen to on Spotify.
If you’re worried about your health or the health of somebody else, you can contact SEED eating disorder support service on 01482 718130 or on their website: https://seedeatingdisorders.org.uk/
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