Aimee Lou Wood has revealed she battled body dysmorphia while filming bikini scenes as Chelsea in the third season of Emmy-nominated HBO series White Lotus.
The actress, 31, told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘I shook myself out of it by thinking, “It’s not about whether Aimee wants to show her body or not – Chelsea does.”’
Chelsea was known for her optimistic and spiritual outlook on life and the actress says she used this to feel emboldened by her character’s confidence.
‘The line between me and her [her character Chelsea] started to blur,’ Aimee said.
The star spoke of how she was told her ‘life would change’ as the huge American show thrust her into the spotlight like never before which saw her often visiting Los Angeles for work and press opportunities.
Aimee Lou Wood has told Harper’s Bazaar she suffered from body dysmorphia while filming bikini scenes as Chelsea for the third season of The White Lotus after battling bulimia
Speaking about the negative thoughts she had about her body, she said: ‘I shook myself out of it by thinking, “It’s not about whether Aimee wants to show her body or not – Chelsea does.”’
But the California bubble known for its glitz and glamour and to be sprawling with Hollywood A listers, was less exciting for Aimee.
She said: ‘I find LA emotionally bulimic, and I say that as an ex-bulimic. It is this super-sized adventure where everyone’s talking about you all the time and you have to talk about yourself all the time. And then I leave, and I want to throw it all up.’
On Thursday, Aimee will receive the Television Actress award at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards 2025, held in partnership with The Platinum Card® By American Express.
She posed for an incredible shoot to accompany her editorial, looking braless in a floor-length black lace dress and matching heels.
She also was perched on a chair and rocked a black bodysuit and tights.
While another image showed her leaning on a velvet bench as she put on a very leggy display in a brown fur coat for the cover shoot.
On Thursday, Aimee will receive the Television Actress award at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards 2025, held in partnership with The Platinum Card® By American Express
In her latest photoshoot, she looked happy and confident as she posed in a series of high-fashion looks
The Sex Education star is tipped to become Hollywood’s new golden girl
She has already built up a solid fanbase over the years, starring in a host of popular TV series – most recently, BBC’s Film Club and Daddy Issues
The Sex Education star is tipped to become Hollywood’s new golden girl.
She has already built up a solid fanbase over the years, starring in a host of popular TV series – most recently, BBC’s Film Club and Daddy Issues.
But she previously said her self-confidence ended up through the floor, with Aimee admitting she didn’t believe she would land good roles because she wasn’t ‘conventional-looking enough’.
Aimee stunned on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar as she is set to win the TV Actress prize at their 2025 Women of the Year Awards
Aimee has a long history of struggles with her body image – which she has bravely opened up about on various occasions.
At her worst, she suffered with eating disorder bulimia, which eventually resulted in a ‘harsh but necessary’ intervention from staff at prestigious drama school, RADA.
In a 2023 interview, she spoke of drama school feeling like a ‘tirade on your body’, which led to feelings of ‘I have to make myself sick’ in order to ‘people please’.
‘I hated my body and didn’t want to be in it – that’s not the case any more, thank God.
‘But then, going to drama school, it can get even worse. I have scoliosis [curvature of the spine], so neutral for me is not neutral for everyone else.
‘You go to drama school and everyone’s being straightened out. It’s not easy being told you’re moving wrong – it’s basically a tirade on your body.’
Aimee has a long history of struggles with her body image – which she has bravely opened up about on various occasions (pictured in The White Lotus)
The actor previously spoke out after a ‘mean’ and ‘unfunny’ skit by Saturday Night Live mocking her teeth. Sarah Sherman pictured
Through therapy she was able to reframe her issues with her body as well as unpack the childhood trauma she faced.
The Mancunian previously said her body image struggles may have been rooted in cruel jibes from classmates in her school years.
In her private secondary school, where she first developed a love of drama, she said she felt out of place with her thick Stockport accent, and was teased about her ‘Bugs Bunny’ teeth.
Most recently the actor spoke out after a ‘mean’ and ‘unfunny’ skit by Saturday Night Live mocking her teeth.
In April she shared a series of posts condemning the sketch show after Sarah Sherman wore huge prosthetic teeth while parodying Aimee.
The camera then cut to Aimee’s character Chelsea – played by Sarah – with exaggerated buck teeth, who exclaimed: ‘Fluoride? What’s that?’
After slamming the sketch she later went on to receive an apology from the show.
In 2019, Aimee landed her big break when she was cast in Netflix’s racy comedy, Sex Education, as the sweet and ditzy Aimee.
She played the girlfriend of the headmaster’s son, Adam, with fans delighted when it emerged that she and the actor Connor Swindells were dating in real life before splitting two years later.
Aimee worked with intimacy co-ordinators to help, admitting she was warned about facing a ‘vulnerability hangover’ after stripping off on camera for a sex scene.
She explained: ‘The intimacy co-ordinator said sometimes you’ll feel pretty exhilarated after you’ve just done the sex scene, then a day or two later you get a bit of a vulnerability hangover and you’re like, “S**t!”
‘So she checks in on us a day or two after we’ve filmed it to see how we’re feeling. With the scene, I was so supported on set. But a couple of days later I was like, “Oh, my god!”
Aimee added that filming the scene gave her a ‘major vulnerability hangover’, saying: ‘I was like, “I look hideous, my a*** in the air, so unflattering”.’
But she concluded that she was glad producers didn’t airbrush anything, adding: ‘Now I look back at that and think, “wow, great!”‘
As well as featuring in racy and humorous plots, her character was also part of an important and emotional storyline in season two, which followed her trauma after being sexual assaulted on a bus.
She was widely praised for her work on the storyline.
The December/January issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK is on sale from November 7.
