Sasha Pieterse is opening up about her health struggles.
The 29-year-old actress began playing the role of Alison DiLaurentis on Freeform‘s Pretty Little Liars when she was 12. At 17, she was diagnosed with PCOS and epilepsy, leading to a 70-pound weight gain.
On the Tuesday (August 19) episode of the SHE MD podcast, Sasha opened up about struggling with her health and sudden weight gain in front of the camera.
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“I started Pretty Little Liars when I was 12. By 17, I had gained 70 pounds and was silently battling seizures, irregular periods, acne, and hair loss, while playing an ‘it girl’ on TV,” Sasha revealed on the podcast, sharing that she struggled with an irregular menstrual cycle from a young age. She revealed that she struggled to find a doctor that would take her health concerns seriously.
“I went to 17 different gynecologists,” Sasha said. “They all said I was just eating too much or not exercising enough, even though I was doing everything right. If I ate more salads, I would’ve turned green.”
Although Sasha said that finally getting answers was validating, it was hard for her to deal with her health issues before she finally found a doctor who could explain what was going on.
“I would go through waves of depression. I had body dysmorphia and disordered eating, but it wasn’t changing what I looked like. If anything, it was getting worse,” Sasha admitted on the podcast, saying that she was told she was “crazy” by professionals while she tried to get answers.
Watch Sasha‘s full podcast appearance below and see what her Pretty Little Liars costar said about a controversial storyline on the show!