Lily Collins (of Emily in Paris fame) opened up about the struggles she's had with her weight in hopes of helping others dealing with those issues.
Collins has been a mainstay in the entertainment world for years with roles in projects like The Blind Side and, most recently, Maxxxine.
Emily in Paris features her in the biggest role of her career to date, playing an American marketing executive who moves to Paris to assist a French marketing firm.
Emily In Paris Star Lily Collins' on Skinny & Weight Struggles
Over the years, Emily in Paris fans have commented on star Lily Collins — particularly the fact that she has looked unnaturally skinny at times during the show.
Some fans on Reddit wanted to avoid body shaming her but addressed the fact that she looks unhealthy at her weight, which has happened throughout her time on Emily in Paris. Reddit comments have ranged from saying she has anorexia to other kinds of chronic illness.
Over the years, Collins has addressed these issues on numerous occasions. She revealed dealing with an eating disorder when she was a teenager, which has been an important part of her story off-camera.
Speaking with Porter Edit in 2022, Collins discussed her medical journey, noting how she "came out into the world wanting to do, wanting to tell."
She is someone "who is very open," having a strong belief in being forthcoming about subjects "that are considered shameful or confusing."
One of the most important things to her is the people around her, as she praised her support system for being there for anything she may need:
"It’s always a learning curve. But I feel like I am able to have that balance. And I have a support system of people that I know will help me if I need help."
Collins previously detailed struggling with anorexia in an interview with The Times, tying it back to her parents' divorce (her parents are Jill Tavelman and Grammy-winning musician Phil Collins).
There was a "terrible disconnect" between herself and her father, and she explained how those issues incited many of her "deepest insecurities."
Previously, Collins spoke in 2017 about her struggles with her eating disorder before her Netflix film To the Bone, for which she had to lose a fairly significant amount of weight.
She told Refinery29 that it was a "scary process" but that she knew she would be safe working with the women on set and a high-level nutritionist:
"I knew that, this time, I would be held accountable for it. I would be [losing weight] under the supervision of a nutritionist and surrounded by all these amazing women on set. So, I knew that I would be in a safe environment to explore this."
However, she also had to deal with plenty of problematic and hurtful comments from people outside of the set.
She told The Edit about an old friend of her's commenting on her weight loss and saying she looked great before the actress realized how big of a problem that was:
"I was leaving my apartment one day and someone I've known for a long time, my mom's age, said to me, 'Oh, wow, look at you!' I tried to explain [I had lost weight for a role] and she goes, 'No! I want to know what you're doing, you look great!' I got into the car with my mom and said, 'That is why the problem exists.'"
Encounters like this have driven Collins' passion to spread awareness about weight struggles, particularly since discussion surrounding it in the entertainment industry is usually so heated.
The first three full seasons of Emily in Paris are streaming on Netflix, as is Season 4 Part 1. Part 2 will debut on Thursday, September 12.
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