\n<\/p>\n
Country singer Lauren Alaina<\/strong><\/a> opened up about her struggle with an eating disorder while she was competing on season 10 of American Idol<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI started having problems with [an] eating disorder in middle school and then in tenth grade, I go on American Idol,\u201d Alaina, 28, said to Hannah Brown<\/strong><\/a> on the Wednesday, August 9, episode of the \u201cBetter Tomorrow<\/a>\u201d podcast. \u201cAnd I was in my very awkward, chubby phase.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaina explained that the \u201cbiggest criticism\u201d she endured came from the girls in her high school but that changed when she decided to go on \u201cnational television.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was always confident on the stage, the one thing I wasn\u2019t confident [about] was my weight probably like my whole life,\u201d she recalled. \u201cWell not my whole life, but starting in eighth grade-ish because I became a cheerleader and I was a softball player before that and so I was not built the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaina was the runner-up on the wildly popular singing competition series in 2011, losing to fellow country artist Scotty McCreery<\/strong><\/a>. Alaina recalled being \u201cbetween a teenager and a woman\u201d while a 16-year-old on the show, and marveled at how so many viewers focused on and criticized her body.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople commented a lot on my weight. \u2026 What kind of evil humans can comment on a 16-year-old child is beyond me now. But as that 16-year-old child it got very bad for a while,\u201d Alaina admitted. \u201cI suffered with such a severe eating disorder in those years where nothing was connecting, it wasn\u2019t only because [I needed] to work hard, I lost who I was completely. Everything, my light like it was dimmed quite a bit because of the TV aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaina remembered there was even a blog at the time, which she did not name, that photoshopped a \u201cpig nose\u201d on her face and referred to her as \u201cMiss Piggy.\u201d Still, despite the hurtful comments, Alaina managed to also feel good about her fan-favorite performances on the show.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an extreme high and an extreme low and I got sick \u2026 I struggled very, very bad with bulimia for a very long time,\u201d she confessed. \u201cIn fact when I was going on Dancing With the Stars<\/em><\/a> [in 2019,] I had been in remission for years at that point. And something about knowing I was going back on national television I had to start going to therapy<\/a> for it again.\u201d<\/p>\n Alaina says she\u2019s currently doing \u201cgreat\u201d as she continues to release new music and tour while feeling \u201chappy and healthy.\u201d While she usually stays away from reading comments online, she does look at the ones that are \u201creally great\u201d and interacts with her fans. She says that today, \u201cthings are very positive.\u201d now.<\/p>\n Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter<\/a> and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) website<\/a> or call their hotline at (888)-375-7767 to get help.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n Lauren Alaina.<\/span> Casey Flanigan\/imageSPACE for LITVGC\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n