White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood fears her soaring fame will reignite her teenage bulimia and body dysmorphia battles

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She earned a legion of fans – and an Emmy nomination – with her performance in The White Lotus.

However, Aimee Lou Wood explains that the rapid increase in her fame and becoming well-known worldwide has brought back difficult feelings related to a previous eating disorder.

The 31-year-old British actress struggled with bulimia, social anxiety, and body dysmorphia during her teenage years. She explains that the pressures of fame can negatively impact her mental well-being.

She explained to the Radio Times that she still experiences times of feeling overwhelmed and stressed, and a desire to regain control by restricting her food intake. ‘I feel it coming back up, like, “I could just take back control by not eating”,’ she said. However, she quickly recognizes this feeling. ‘Then I go, “No, I have to [eat]” and I catch that and try not to get burnt out.’

Ms. Wood, who portrayed Chelsea in the latest season of the HBO series, shared that the encouragement from fans has been a source of strength during difficult times. She said their support helped her cope with some of her darker days.

‘It gives me confidence on the days where sometimes that little demon comes back up,’ she said.

Last year, Ms. Wood received a diagnosis of ADHD and is currently being evaluated for autism. However, she believes understanding her neurodiversity is actually a strength – a ‘superpower’ – that has improved her performance at work.

‘I don’t need everyone to understand me. The people that get me, get me,’ she added.

Around 1.25 million people in the UK are affected by eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia and binge eating disorder.

Bulimia, which involves getting rid of calories through vomiting, excessive exercise, or other methods, can be life-threatening to the heart if it’s not treated.

Oh my gosh, it’s like, they’re saying it’s not *just* one thing that causes it! It’s this whole mix of stuff, you know? Like, you could be born with a tendency towards it – genetics play a huge role, apparently. And then your personality matters too! But it’s usually something that happens – a trigger, like if someone was awful to you, or even if you just started trying to eat healthier! It’s so complex, but fascinating!

The woman from Manchester had previously mentioned that her difficulties with how she saw her body might have started with unkind comments from fellow students when she was in school.

She recalled feeling like an outsider at her private high school, where she first discovered her passion for acting. She said she was self-conscious about her strong accent from Stockport and was often made fun of for her prominent teeth, which were nicknamed ‘Bugs Bunny’ teeth.

This led her to believe she wouldn’t be able to land acting roles due to being ‘too weird-looking’.

As someone who works with people every day, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply bullying can affect you. It’s that awful experience of hearing negative things, really believing them, and then starting to tear yourself down. It’s that inner voice saying, this, or more that – maybe then things would be okay…” I shared with The Observer.

It seems the Sex Education star is still struggling with personal issues, based on her recent statements regarding her part in the popular HBO series White Lotus.

In a recent interview with British GQ, Jennifer Coolidge – Ms. Wood – shared that comments made by White Lotus creator Mike White about having to ‘fight’ the studio to cast her made her feel uncertain and insecure.

‘When someone (not a producer) told me Mike fought for me it was said in a nice way,’ she said.

‘I just spiralled about it because of my own imposter syndrome.

I keep thinking, “HBO didn’t want me. And I understand why – it’s because I’m not attractive.”

She went on to explain: ‘Mike actually said, “please, can I have the unattractive girl?” That’s what really stuck with me.’

Aimee has since clarified however, that HBO had been incredibly supportive of her.

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2025-09-30 02:34