I never wanted to be an actor”, says model-turned-actress Ileana D’cruz. “I was a very shy, self-conscious person once I hit my teens, so I was constantly picked on for my body type. My entire goal was to be accepted by everyone, and I never got it. So that just made it worse.”
The Barfi actress may be setting standards for Indian beauty now, but she admits she didn’t always have the courage to embrace her body image the way she does now.
She starts off by talking about how she has completed 11 years in the industry but her plan was never to be an actor.
“I didn’t even know I had a body disorder so when I started off with acting, it just got worse. There was a period, approximately three years ago, where I would go from happy to completely depressed and not knowing what it was,” she added. The most comforting thought to me was what if I just end things now? Thankfully, I realized this is not right, she further added.
Today, she refuses to give in to her illnesses and has successfully made her mark in the industry without allowing anything to bog her down. “I don’t care if I fail again; I just want to keep pushing and keep trying to be the best version of myself.”
Several celebrities such as Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar have also openly spoken about grappling with such disorders and mental health.
