The battles Ariana Madix has had with an eating condition are becoming more public. Ariana, 38, is talking about the criticism she received during her recovery, what led to her unhealthy relationship with food, and whether or not her boyfriend Daniel Wai will be on Vanderpump Rules season 11 as she continues to put in a lot of work in the gym and training sessions during her time on Dancing With the Stars.
about October 30, Ariana commented about Daniel’s upcoming appearances to E! News, saying, “Once or twice, but definitely not very much.” “He’s not interested in the entirety of it.” He found it really unfamiliar, but I have to give him credit for being a good sport about it.
Although Daniel was seen attending the Pump Rules cast trip to San Francisco in September, where the finale episode was filmed, fans will have to wait and see if he turns up in the episode. Also up in the air at the moment is Ariana’s shared sandwich shop with Katie Maloney, 38, Something About Her. While the venue was supposed to be opened over the summer, that hasn’t happened quite yet.
“I just want Something About Her to become super successful and to open more locations. Starting a sandwich empire and take over the world,” Katie shared during her own chat with.
Meanwhile, during an October 30 interview with Self, Ariana spoke candidly about her body issues and mental health concerns.
“When I was young and experiencing and feeling things like depression and body dysmorphia, I wouldn’t have even known what to look up on the internet, or how to. I mean, I wasn’t going to go to the library and check out a book about mental health,” Ariana recalled. “Even later on, I didn’t realize what I was doing when I was restricting my eating, or that my thoughts in regard to my relationship with food and my body were dangerous.”
Growing up, I had a very strong perception of something like to an eating disorder. “I didn’t realize that eating disorders can manifest in a variety of ways and aren’t always associated with being under a specific weight,” she continued.
Ariana claims she didn’t understand she had been in pain until she was recovering from the illness.
“At the time of my first season of Vanderpump Rules, I was struggling professionally and everything else in my life was disorganized or unpredictable. That’s when my eating disorder truly had a chance to pounce and take root,” she said.
At that time, Ariana was following Tumblr pages that promoted restrictive eating disorders and thigh gaps were all the rage.
“I don’t know why I was trying so hard to fit that mold. But at the same time, images of very thin women were being promoted in so many places, constantly,” she noted.
While Ariana is in a much better place today, she said she’s “still learning” and figuring out what sparked her eating disorder.
“They say that the need for control is a major factor in many eating disorders. I think about it and I’m like, yeah, that makes sense. I had no control,” she posed.
Looking back at her recovery, Ariana said she struggled with online criticism in regard to her weight.
“There was a lot of chatter about that—people saying, ‘She’s gained a lot of weight,’” Ariana shared. “I still have to catch myself sometimes. There’s that voice in my head that’s like, ‘Well, you shouldn’t eat because you’re going to be in a two-piece later.’ Earlier today I had a photo shoot and I was worried about my body. I’ll tell myself, ‘No, go have a freaking pizza, and knock it off.’”
Ariana also catches herself thinking negatively about her body amid DWTS rehearsals, during which she and her partner Pasha Pashvok watch videos of themselves dancing. Luckily, Pasha is sure to speak encouragement to her, keeping things “really” positive.
Ariana tries not to be too hard on herself, despite the pressure to be in the “best shape of her life” when competing on DWTS.
“I try to remind myself that I can only be myself, that everyone is different and unique, and that everyone has different abilities and relationships with their bodies.” “I just force myself to believe that, given the situation, I will do the best I can. I don’t—I can’t—work out today if that means that. I refuse to punish myself for it.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime later this year or early next year.