Rikki Lake has blamed childhood sexual abuse for her weight issues.
Rikki Lake has blamed childhood sexual abuse for her weight issues.
The actress-turned-talk show host ballooned to 117,9kg at her heaviest. Lake then started taking her health seriously and shed more than half her body weight.
She says: "I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and I think it contributed. Who knows for sure? I've done many years in therapy and worked on all my issues.
"I didn't talk about it for 15 or 20 years; I didn't admit that it had happened to me because I wanted to kind of bury things.
"It, in some way, made me who I am today. I don't want to be a poster child for this at all but it's a very weird thing for children when they're violated in that way.
"Food became a comfort to me; it was my kind of security blanket."
She never confronted her abuser when she eventually told her parents - but the person was "quickly removed" from her life. - Wenn
Battle of the bulge after sexual abuse
Rikki Lake has blamed childhood sexual abuse for her weight issues.
Rikki Lake has blamed childhood sexual abuse for her weight issues.
The actress-turned-talk show host ballooned to 117,9kg at her heaviest. Lake then started taking her health seriously and shed more than half her body weight.
She says: "I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and I think it contributed. Who knows for sure? I've done many years in therapy and worked on all my issues.
"I didn't talk about it for 15 or 20 years; I didn't admit that it had happened to me because I wanted to kind of bury things.
"It, in some way, made me who I am today. I don't want to be a poster child for this at all but it's a very weird thing for children when they're violated in that way.
"Food became a comfort to me; it was my kind of security blanket."
She never confronted her abuser when she eventually told her parents - but the person was "quickly removed" from her life. - Wenn