‘Destroyed my body’: Jameela Jamil opens up about past eating disorder

Jamil is now proud of her recovery over the past five years.

• Mohnish Singh
• 30 May, 2024

Follow Us

By: Mohnish Singh

Actress Jameela Jamil, who is known for her roles in The Good Place and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, has revealed how an eating disorder left a lasting impact on her body.

On Wednesday, she opened up about her past struggle with anorexia on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, admitting she “f**ked up my kidney, my liver, my digestive system, my heart”.

She admitted to having “destroyed” her body and her bone density through the use of laxatives and unhealthy dieting practices.

“I took so many laxatives, I’m amazed I even still have an a**hole, to be perfectly honest,” the British actress, writer and TV presenter added.

She continued, “I took any pill or drink or diet that Oprah recommended. I did it. I took it. You know, any very low-calorie supermodel diet.

“I’m so sorry to my body that I have jeopardised my future so severely for a beauty standard and to try to fit in with other people.”

She also expressed her frustration over the lack of awareness around the consequences of anorexic behaviours.

“There’s so much talk about the dangers of being in a bigger body and there’s no talk almost about the dangers of not eating enough, only eating too much,” she said.

Jamil, who once called out Kim Kardashian for her participation in setting “impossible” beauty standards, added, “I think that’s really dangerous because we really have no idea the way that people’s fertility is f**ked, the way their long-term health is f**ked. We just don’t talk about it and it’s an inconvenient truth that the diet industry kind of squashes.”

Jamil is now proud of her recovery over the past five years.

“My hair has grown back, and my energy has come back, my sex drive has come back and everything is better in my life,” she admitted.