“This Is Us” star Chrissy Metz opens up about how her life changed when she finally embraced her body
Chrissy Metz is breaking boundaries and touching hearts as Kate on NBC’s This Is Us, and her personal journey with weight loss and gain is equally as moving.
The Florida native opened up to People about her ongoing struggle with her weight, which began at a very young age. She explained that she knows the pain her on-screen 8-year-old self (as seen in flashbacks by Mackenzie Hancsisak) felt, because she has always had ups and downs with her body image.
In regards to her size, Metz said, "[it] was always something I was cognizant of. I’ve had pictures of when I was 3 and 4 years old, and I’ve always been chubby."
The 36-year-old actress, is now at a point in her life where she can reflect on her past weight struggles because she is confident in who she is and where she came from.
"I remember being at Weight Watchers at, like, 11 years old and my mom just trying to figure it out for me," Metz told People.
"It's one of those things where it's heartbreaking because, as a parent, you want your child to have the best life possible and you want them to be protected and in this little bubble where everybody finds them to be beautiful and perfect and their lives to be amazing. But that's not always the case."
Metz also opened up about her childhood and how she was bullied for her size. She explained that she would be physically active as a kid, but always fell back into unhealthy patterns, like not eating and then eventually binge eating because she was so hungry. When she turned 30 however that all changed, because Metz’s mindset about her body and what she looked like changed for the better.
"When I turned 30, I had this epiphany that my life is my own and my choices are my own," she said.
She revealed that she went on “a bit of a spiritual journey,” which led her to discover that she needed to put aside what other people thought about her and her size.
Instead she decided to "focus on who I am, business or no business, actress or no actress. And things just kind of started falling into place. There definitely was a shift."
Metz is now on the successful drama This Is Us and her character’s weight journey and decision to better her life for herself is touching and empowering, as is her real-life revelation.
"I just feel really grateful that I can pursue my dreams and also reach people in ways that I never expected," Metz said about her newest TV role.
You go girl!
