'Dancing With the Stars' Alum Lacey Schwimmer Shares Impact of Body Shaming during Show, Reveals Previous Health Issues
Schwimmer recounted a toxic environment during her 2008-2011 stint on DWTS where comments on her appearance made by fellow pros were echoed by the media and fans, leading to severe body image and health issues from extreme dieting measures and the abuse of diet pills.
- Lacey Schwimmer, former professional dancer on 'Dancing with the Stars' (DWTS), has opened up about her disturbing experience with the show, detailing how toxic comments about her weight from fellow cast members and the media led to severe body image and health issues.
- Schwimmer revealed that during her 2008-2011 stint on DWTS, fellow professional dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Louis van Amstel, whose comments were echoed by the media and fans, critically judged her appearance and weight. She describes how these remarks deeply affected her mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
- The dancer, who was 138 pounds and a size six during her time on the show, admitted to extreme dieting and abusing diet pills due to the stress from the judgment, leading to severe health issues. At the peak of her health problems, she was eating just 500 calories a day while following a rigorous dance schedule and experienced hormonal imbalance related to her diet.
- Comments on her weight and body even seeped into the production aspects of the show. She mentions being asked by a DWTS producer to wear fishnets for a 'smoother look' on camera, indicating a critical focus on her body that further fed her body dysmorphia and extreme dieting habits.
- Reflecting on her experience, Schwimmer criticized the culture of body shaming on the show. She suggested that the industry has evolved and such comments would be unacceptable today. Schwimmer emphasized that someone's physical appearance should not be critiqued when it doesn't influence the work they were hired to do.
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