'It was horrible': Hilary Duff admits eating disorder

Even as a teenager, Hilary Duff can be seen on US TV.

'It was horrible': Hilary Duff admits eating disorder

Even as a teenager, Hilary Duff can be seen on US TV. Now the actress is talking for the first time about how much she was bothered by the standards in Hollywood at the time. She even developed an eating disorder. Today the 36-year-old is finally proud of her body.

US actress Hilary Duff says her early success has had a negative impact on her mental health. As a teenager, she wanted to keep up with Hollywood standards for a "perfect body" and developed an eating disorder at the age of 17, she said in an interview for the January issue of Australia's "Women's Health". "Because of my professional background, I couldn't help but think, 'I'm in front of a camera and actresses are skinny.' It was horrific."

Only after years is she finally proud of her body. "I value my health and do activities that make me feel strong, rather than just improving the appearance of my body," she explained. "I spend time with people I feel good about and have similar beliefs about health and body awareness, and I get enough sleep and eat a balanced diet."

Duff was already in front of the camera as a child, she played her first leading role at the age of ten in the film "Casper Meets Wendy". She became known with the Disney series "Lizzie McGuire" (2001-2004). She was most recently seen in How I Met Your Father, a spin-off of the cult sitcom How I Met Your Mother from the '00s and 1900s.