Christina Applegate says she was anorexic and got down to a size ZERO to wear bikinis on Married With Children

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In her new memoir, Christina Applegate revealed she hardly ate during the run of her popular 1980s sitcom, Married With Children.

Kelly Bundy, the 54-year-old actress known for her role in the popular sitcom that ran for 11 seasons, has recently shared her personal battle with body dysmorphia and anorexia.

The TV star said her problems worsened by the time she played the promiscuous and rebellious teen.

In a passage from her memoir, shared by Vulture, she explained that playing the character led to her developing unhealthy habits, specifically needing to be very thin.

I pictured exactly what I wanted her to wear – clothes so tight they’d reveal even the smallest weight gain, like after eating a single grape. Achieving that vision meant worsening my eating disorder.

The show aired from 1987 until 1997 when Applegate was in her teens and early twenties.

Applegate said she went to extreme lengths to lose weight, and ultimately became dangerously thin – ‘just skin and bones,’ as she described it.

She explained that if she were to eat something large, like a bagel, she’d only eat a small portion – maybe half, or even a quarter – and that would be enough food for her whole day.

I used to be very hard on myself and would sometimes stop eating completely. I became extremely thin – a size 0 – and the costume designers on ‘Married…With Children’ constantly had to alter my clothes because I was losing so much weight. I was just skin and bones, really.

Applegate confessed she always felt insecure, and as the show went on, she began wearing more revealing clothing, frequently appearing in bikinis.

And sometimes she would cringe when the audience cat called her. 

She remembered that by the fifth season, she’d become such a sensation that she could walk onto the set—like she did in episode 13, ‘The Godfather,’ wearing a leather jacket and a short red shirt—and the audience would erupt in cheers for a full five seconds before the scene could continue.

Ugh, looking back at it now makes me want to hide! It was SO over-the-top, and yeah, definitely a little…much. Honestly, there’s no way they’d even think about making something like that today. Still love it, though…even with all the cringey bits!

‘That’s a good thing: It’s hard enough for young women to thrive in a world of appearances.’

I just need everyone to understand, she’s made it so clear she doesn’t blame anyone on set – not a single person! And honestly, it breaks my heart knowing how deeply the role affected her, but she’s stressed she doesn’t blame anyone for her struggles. It’s like, it wasn’t their fault, it was just… a lot for her to handle, and she’s being so graceful about it. I’m just so proud of her for saying this, it shows how strong she is!

She acknowledged that being looked at was always part of the job, but she also really wanted to wear the outfits her character, Kelly Bundy, was known for.

It might be difficult to accept now, but I truly didn’t realize how I was impacting others. I was young and still figuring things out. I now understand my struggles with food and self-deprivation stemmed from past trauma.

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2026-03-03 18:33