Sara Evans Reveals She Is 'More Scared Of Being Fat Than Anything In The World'
Country music singer Sara Evans is opening up about her struggles with an eating disorder and body dysmorphia.
Evans sat down for a recent interview with 'Dancing With The Stars' professional dancer Cheryl Burke, who has also been open about her body dysmorphia struggles thanks to "people’s opinions" that come with the fame.
Sara Evans Opens Up About Body Dysmorphia Struggles
The 53-year-old let down her walls, revealing that opinions surrounding her body "bother" her more than they should.
“I won't say that it doesn't,” she told Burke on her podcast, 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' regarding the public's opinion. “I have an eating disorder. I'm more scared of being fat than anything in the world, and that's not good. That's not normal.”
“My record label, every time I had a baby, they would be like, ‘When's she gonna lose weight?’ " Evans recalled. “So things like that would just get in my head.”
Sara Evans Says Fame Played Into Her Struggles
The country music singer also revealed she struggles with body dysmorphia, which the Mayo Clinic describes as "a mental health condition in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can't be seen by others. But you may feel so embarrassed, ashamed, and anxious that you may avoid many social situations."
Evans opened up about how that has affected her mental health and the way she looks at herself. “I'm a people-pleaser,” she told the 'Dancing With The Stars' alum. “Like, if I'm skinny and I'm pretty and I did a good show, then I'm loved…and I want to feel loved no matter what.”
Cheryl Burke has also been open about her body dysmorphia.
Cheryl Burke Recalls 'Dancing With The Stars' Days
The Blast previously reported on Burke's struggles with body image when she admitted that 'Dancing With The Stars' played into her mental health.
“As far as wearing one of the outfits, I would probably get on some, I don't know, some sort of strict diet," the former 'Dancing With The Stars' pro told Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes on their 'Amy & T.J. Podcast.' "But that's my body dysmorphia that I'll forever have... I'm very open with that.”
She added, “I started [the show] when I was 21 years old. I went through this horrific like, ‘She's too fat for TV too.’ ”
“I was growing into who I am as a woman as well. And with that, I did gain weight,” she recalled.
Sara Evans Admits To Having PTSD
Four years ago, the 'Suds In The Bucket' artist revealed she struggles with mental health, telling PEOPLE, "I had severe PTSD and anxiety, but it was the '80s, and I didn't have a name for it. I don't think my mother even thought, like, 'Maybe I should take her to therapy.' I thought I could handle it because I'm tough."
She eventually got help and claimed that antianxiety medication "saved" her life.
"It calmed me down," she said of the medication. "Taking it also made me realize you're not going to be this way forever. I always tell my kids, 'The toll that anxiety takes on your body and on your mind, I think, is so much worse than if you have to take [medication] to calm down.' "
Sara Evans Tells All In Her Memoir
A few years ago, Sara Evans released her memoir, 'Born To Fly,' in which she candidly discussed her life and struggles over the years.
“If you think my life has been easy for one second, think again,” Evans told Alabama Life & Culture at the time. “If you think of me as privileged, think again. I want people to know that you can achieve what you want to achieve, but you have to work hard.”
She added that God has helped her through her tough times. “I believe in God. I know God is real,” Evans told the outlet. “I feel God’s presence in my life, as a direct result of prayer. We say, ‘Why, God?’ when bad things happen to us. But I don’t know how anybody can live without faith.”
'Born To Fly' is out now.
