Hayden Panettiere Reveals Struggle With Body Dysmorphia

“Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere played a confident cheerleader for four years on NBC, but in reality the blossoming actress was hiding a painful secret. While her career was skyrocketing she was dealing with the disorder body dysmorphia.

Body Dysmorphia is explained as a mental illness that affects someone who is greatly concerned by body image, but goes a step further and manifests into an obsessed concern and preoccupation of how their body is perceived. The disorder can also deal with the perceived perception of physical attributes too. Panettiere opened up to Women’s Health about how she dealt with the disorder while in the spotlight.

The actress said about her discomfort in being in the limelight, telling the magazine she was “stunned” as a teenager after a photo was published of her with the word “cellulite” in toe. From then on the actress said she started to obsess over her weight and body image. It seems as though the disorder is still a struggle, but something that Panettiere may have a better handle on, telling the magazine, “I find out that when I’m overly concerned about what I eat, I stress out my body and put on weight.”

Since “Heroes” wrapped Hayden has enjoyed success with doing voice-overs and taking on roles in films. Her last big role was in Scream 4, but she’s due to start filming Over the Wall in a few months. The film also stars Sebastian Stan and Academy Award winner Melissa Leo.

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