WWE SmackDown star Bianca Belair has opened up about her struggles with mental health and depression earlier in her life.
The newest edition of WWE Chronicle on the WWE Network covers Belair’s career and life both before and as a pro-wrestler.
Belair revealed that she suffered from depression and bulimia. She said:
“So I suffered from bulimia, which started in high school. I was always considered the bigger girl in track. I was always very muscular, just naturally muscular. I was running fast and then I just kind of plateaued. The next thing I could think of was, okay, all my coaches talk about my weight. Let me lose weight. I got so obsessed, so I started throwing my food up. No-one knew. My parents didn’t even know. I hid it. I was throwing my food up all the time, every night, and I lost weight. I ran faster. I got hurt and actually not ended up being able to compete my senior year in high school, but I already had my scholarship, thank God.
“I got a full scholarship to the University of South Carolina. I think I had a little bit too much fun. Started partying, started eating. My coach at the time was just so harsh. He’d always say, ‘go back to the girl you were in high school’. That girl in high school was unhealthy. But okay, if that’s what it takes, being 18, 19 if that’s what it takes, okay. So I went back to throwing up my food.
“I went to try to go talk to somebody about it, to work through it all, and they put me on medication. I end up leaving that college and transferring to another college to try to start over again, instead of facing my issues and thinking, I’m just going to run away from it. I stopped the medication, and you can’t do that, you have to wean yourself off of it. So when I stopped, everything came crashing back down. I got very, very, very depressed and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know what was happening. I was like, I just don’t want to be here anymore. So I tried to not be here anymore.
“I ended up in a psychiatric hospital. I remember being in this room and it was a lady on the side of me that was screaming all night long. My parents are visiting me. They are just in complete shock because they had no idea what was going on. Now I feel bad because I feel like, oh God, they think I’m crazy. I feel like a failure and, so that was the moment when I was like, I need to go home. I can’t keep running from college to college, I have to face this. I was able to sit there and talk to my parents and know that I have their support. That was the moment for me where I felt very safe and I felt like, okay, it’s going to get better. It wasn’t better at that moment, but I felt like it’s going to get better.”
Current WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E has reacted to Belair’s comments, tweeting:
Bianca is so obviously a star. I didn’t know her story but she’s going to positively impact so many lives. She’s so easy to root for.
Belair’s story is truly an inspirational one and she continues to prove what a star she is each and every week.
If you are struggling with any issues raised in this story or anything similar, information on where you can find help is available at this link.
Quote via Fightful
