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After losing the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber, Alexa Bliss was hellbent on getting it back. She didn’t have to wait long, however, and was able to reclaim her title after Naomi’s reign was cut short due to injury earlier this week. Bliss joined Jonathan Coachman on ESPN’s Off the Top Rope to talk about getting the belt back, when the conversation turned to previous setbacks in the Superstar’s life.
An active gymnast since the age of five, and a multi-sport athlete for almost as long, Bliss was always in extremely body-conscious environments. This led to being diagnosed with anorexia, a topic the two-time champ has never shied away from being honest and open about. After being hospitalized a second time, Bliss was told that she was 24 hours away from dying, and her organs couldn’t handle further starvation. She explained that one in three people will die from an eating disorder, and she was close to being that one. Not wanting to become another statistic, she managed to take control of her health and her own body image, and now wants to encourage others to do the same.
That’s kind of why I’ve really been open about it because I remember looking through magazines and watching TV, wondering why I can’t look like those girls. Like, ‘What’s wrong with me, why cant I look like that?’ I want to be that person that shows it’s okay. I’m 5 foot, I’ve got a thick body, I love it. I’m curvy, I’m strong. I would trade that for being the 80 pounds that I was and being afraid if I was going to wake up the next morning. Like Sara [Amato] says, it’s not a sprint – it’s a marathon. It’s a day by day process. You have to know your life means more than a number on a scale.
Though she may be a heel in the WWE Universe, being so candid about her battles with mental and physical health for the benefit of others is a pretty great thing to do.
