Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix recently revealed she struggled with an eating disorder when she joined the show.
Ariana joined the Vanderpump Rules cast during Season 2 all the way back in 2013. And while the new venture was exciting, Ariana shared that her relationship with food was anything but healthy.
Thankfully, she’s since seemingly recovered from the disorder, but the ordeal had a great impact on her wellbeing.
Ariana Madix admits struggles with a ‘full-blown eating disorder’ when she joined Vanderpump Rules
While speaking with her friend and Vanderpump Rules co-star Scheana Shay on the latest episode of her Scheananigans podcast, Ariana opened up about her experiences from the early days of the hit Bravo show.
“I’ve grown in literal size, but I don’t care as much,” she stated. “I started the show, I fell like, with, like, a full-blown eating disorder.”
Ariana continued on to say she would prevent herself from eating on a regular basis, but she didn’t comprehend how severe her issues with food were. It wasn’t until much later that she finally took back control over her mindset surrounding food.
“I feel like I have some tendencies toward disordered eating, but at least I’m more now conscious of it and will fight against it to be healthy,” she said.
“Whereas in the past I was like, ‘Just don’t eat, just don’t eat.’ And that was bad,” she continued.
Ariana has been open about her struggles with mental health
Ariana’s admissions surrounding her eating habits may not come as a complete shock to longtime Vanderpump Rules viewers. Back in 2020, Ariana finally confided in her co-stars Lala Kent and Stassi Schroeder that she didn’t feel comfortable opening up to them about her depression.
“I’m considering driving off the f**king freeway bridge when I’m driving home at night,” she tearfully admitted. “I don’t talk to you guys about that stuff…because it’s not safe.”
Prior to that intense conversation, Ariana also admitted her struggles to SUR boss Lisa Vanderpump by stating she had been depressed for “a very long time.”
As for where she’s at now, Ariana told Scheana during the podcast episode that she’s finally learned how to handle the “waves” of her mental health.
“I think that recognizing it is a thing and allowing it to be what it is has definitely helped with getting better or at least dealing with it as it comes in those waves, those ups and downs,” she shared.
She concluded, “[My depression] was probably always there a little bit under the surface, but I would fight against it so hard because I didn’t know what to call it… Putting a name to it has allowed me to be like, ‘Right, because this isn’t me, it’s separate from me, but it’s there.’”
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237.
Vanderpump Rules is currently on hiatus.