Snooki Anorexia Struggle Revealed: 'It Got Really, Really Bad'
Nicole Polizzi, better known as Snooki, opened up about her struggle with anorexia nervosa while she was in high school. The reality-TV star wanted to share her struggle in the hopes of helping other young girls going through the same thing.
Her struggle began in high school, when she was a cheerleader.
"Cheerleading was my life in high school but it wasn't always easy for me," Snooki told Us Weekly. "I started to be anorexic. There were these little girls coming up, like freshmen, who were literally like 70 pounds. And I was like, my spot as a flier is going to get taken away. So I ended up starving myself."
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"I started eating one salad a day, and then it became like, one cracker a day, and then it became just one grape a day. And then… not eating at all for three days. It was a really, really bad time for me," Snooki added.
The 25-year-old mom graduated from high school and went on to star on the hit MTV series "Jersey Shore," where she became known for her small stature and big attitude. By the end of the series, she was pregnant with son Lorenzo and began settling down a bit. Now she's competing on "Dancing With the Stars," and used the show's platform to address her former struggle with anorexia.
"I definitely thought I should bring it up on this show because a lot of kids watch, and I just wanted kids to know they can overcome it," Snooki said. "I think a lot of high school kids go through that; I think every girl struggles with that at some point, so it's important."
Snooki actually performed a routine in a cheerleading uniform on "Dancing With the Stars," which she said was a "throwback to my cheerleading days!" on her personal website. She and partner Sasha are still in the competition, though there was some fear they would be eliminated.
