Ivy Snitzer, Gwyneth Paltrow's body double from "Shallow Hal" developed an eating disorder post filming

Gwyneth Paltrow's body double, Ivy Snitzer, in the movie Shallow Hal is shedding some light on her life after the movie was released in 2001.

Paltrow played the character named Rosemary in the movie, which required her to wear a fat suit. As an ambitious actress at the time, Snitzer leaped at the chance to become Gwyneth Paltrow's body double in the film. She thought that being part of a movie that featured a title character whose appearance wasn't the norm back then would help normalize things.

Now, after years since its release, Gwyneth Paltrow's body double is speaking out about the impact of that brief stint on her life. Speaking about it in a recent interview with Amelia Tait, she mentions that 15 months after the film's release, she had lap band surgery. She also talks about the immense pressure she felt as a "good fattie" to lose weight and become thinner.

She says:

"I hated my body, the way I was supposed to. I ate a lot of salads. I had eating disorders that I was very proud of."

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What are Eating Disorders?

Being constantly aware of your food intake may be a sign of an underlying eating disorder (Image via pixabay/pencilparker)

Eating disorders are health conditions characterized by individuals having an unhealthy relationship with food. In such cases, people are usually too aware of their calorie intake and go the extra mile to limit it. They are usually unhappy with their external appearance, specifically their bodies, due to which they tend to control their food consumption.

Another form of eating disorder is when people consume huge amounts of food at a stretch even though their bodies do not require it at the moment. In this case, hunger is more of an emotional need than a physical one.

Some commonly known eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. If not treated at the right time, it can cause serious health damage, including death.

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What did Gwyneth Paltrow's body double have to say about her eating disorder?

Gwyneth Paltrow's stunt double on "Shallow Hal" recently spoke about her eating disorder (Image via Pixabay/Conmongt)

Speaking about the eating disorder she developed after the release of Shallow Hal, Gwyneth Paltrow's stand-in says that it felt like it was her responsibility to lose weight and become skinnier.

In an attempt to do so, she underwent lap band surgery after her physician advised her to get it done if she wanted to lead a healthy life post-forty.

Although she lost a ton of weight after the surgery, she became extremely vigilant about her calorie intake and always kept a strict watch on what she ate. This led her to develop multiple eating disorders, which went untreated during this time as she felt that it was something she "was supposed to be proud of."

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There are multiple people around us who are living with some form of eating disorder. If you ever come across someone who is going through the same thing, be kind and empathetic toward them. If possible, advise them to seek immediate medical help.