While reflecting on her Vanderpump Rules journey with costar Scheana Shay, Ariana Madix opened up about how she struggled with an eating disorder in the past.
“I’ve grown in literal size, but I don’t care as much. I started the show with, like, a full-blown eating disorder,” Madix, 36, explained during an episode of Dear Media’s “Scheananigans” podcast on Friday, February 11.
The former SUR bartender, who joined the Bravo series during season 2, noted that she didn’t realize how serious the situation was at first.
“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 added. “Whereas in the past I was like, ‘Just don’t eat, just don’t eat.’ And that was bad.”
Madix previously used her platform on Vanderpump Rules to discuss topics including her bisexuality and depression. During season 8, the Fancy AF Cocktails author revealed to Stassi Schroeder and Lala Kent that she wasn’t in a good place with her mental health.
“I don’t enjoy most things very much, but you guys don’t know that because we don’t talk one-on-one,” Madix told her costars in the February 2020 episode. “I’m considering driving off the f–king freeway bridge when I’m driving home at night. I don’t talk to you guys about that stuff because it’s not safe. It’s not safe.”
After the episode aired, Tom Sandoval discussed how his girlfriend was doing since she publicly addressed her depression.
“Obviously it’s something that she struggles with on a regular basis,” Sandoval, 38, exclusively told Us Weekly that same month. “All I could do is try to be supportive, try not to be annoying. Because I’ll try to overcompensate it and it’s annoying. I know it’s annoying, but I don’t know what to do. I want to help. I want to help, but you can only do so much.”
The TomTom cofounder, who started dating Madix in 2014, also explained how they have continued to put in the work when it comes to their relationship.
“Whenever we’re busy, whenever we’re working out, healthy, being proactive, it just tends to be a positive influence on our relationship. We just want to kind of keep those things going on,” he added. “We’re very close. We joke around on a regular basis. We have great debates, intelligent debates. We have a lot of respect for each other. It’s a positive thing.”
On Friday, Madix shared how seeing a therapist helped her deal with the “ups and downs” that come with depression, saying, “[It] 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 struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) website or call their hotline at (888)-375-7767 to get help.