Aimee Lou Wood is opening up about her mental health as she deals with fame.
The 31-year-old actress revealed that when she was a teenager she struggled with bulimia, social anxiety, and body dysmorphia. During her new interview with Radio Times, Aimee candidly addressed what life has been like for her amid her increased notoriety.
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While the pressures of fame can be challenging to manage, The White Lotus star says that connecting with fans has helped her conquer her insecurities and find new ways to deal with stress.
“It gives me confidence on the days where sometimes that little demon comes back up. I get it so bad after social situations: obsessive, repetitive thoughts of, ‘Did I really say that? That was weird. Why did you say that?’ but then I think of those people who thank me for being weird because it means they can embrace their weirdness,” she says.
Aimee continued, revealing that she still has moments where she gets “really overwhelmed and stressed.”
“I feel it coming back up, like, ‘I could just take back control by not eating…’ Then I go, ‘No, I have to [eat]’ and I catch that and try not to get burnt out,” she continued.
Earlier this year, the English actress was diagnosed with ADHD and describes the news as a “relief.”
“I don’t need everyone to understand me. The people that get me, get me. The anxiety and feelings of inadequacy come from trying to meet other people’s expectations, but what’s so moving is that when I unmask, other people do too. The exhaustion and shame comes from covering things up, but it’s freeing when you say, ‘My brain doesn’t work like that.’”
She continued to explain her feelings, “Growing up, I felt a deep need to be ‘normal,’ but then I realised all my favourite people, all the people I admired, were weird — even my favourite characters, like Jane Eyre. Acting has shifted how I feel about myself. I used to hate how my face was so expressive but going into my 30s, I don’t want to miss out on life because I’m worried about how I’m being perceived. Beauty is internal and I’m my own human-shaped self, and that’s OK. I don’t need to fit into any box.”
Aimee was recently seen at the Emmys with her new boyfriend!
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