Country singer Sara Evans has revealed she has been struggling with an eating disorder since she stepped into the spotlight – adding that she is terrified to be ‘fat.’
The 53-year-old Born To Fly hitmaker – who recently revealed she had reconciled with her ex-husband, Jay Barker, after he was arrested over an alleged aggravated assault incident – opened up about her battle with body dysmorphia and why the opinions of trolls ‘bother’ her more than they should.
During a recent episode of the podcast Sex, Lies, And Spray Tans hosted by Cheryl Burke, Sara admitted that she began suffering from an ‘eating disorder,’ ‘anxiety,’ and ‘PTSD’ at a very early age.
The Western singer confessed that she had ‘succumbed to extreme anxiety’ as she revealed that her biggest fear in the ‘world’ was getting ‘fat.’
Country singer Sara (seen in 2023) has revealed she has been struggling with an eating disorder since she stepped in the spotlight – adding that she is terrified to be ‘fat’
The 53-year-old Born To Fly hitmaker (seen in 2011) opened up about her battle with body dysmorphia
The podcast began with Cheryl asking Sara how she handled the fame that came with ‘people’s opinions,’ which the country star admitted ‘bothered’ her.
‘I won’t say that it doesn’t. I have an eating disorder. I’m more scared of being fat than anything in the world, and that’s not good. That’s not normal,’ Sara admitted.
The mom-of-three revealed that she felt the pressure to lose weight immediately after giving birth to her children.
‘My record label, every time I had a baby, they would be like, “When’s she gonna lose weight?” So things like that would just get in my head,’ she added.
Sara admitted that she tried to get as skinny as possible so that she would be more ‘loved’ by others.
The 53-year-old added: ‘I’m a people pleaser. Like, if I’m skinny and I’m pretty and I did a good show, then I’m loved… and I want to feel loved no matter what.’
According to the Mayo Clinic, body dysmorphia is as a mental illness that sees the person constantly worry about a perceived or slight defect in appearance.
She explained that she would spend her time reading hate comments and obsessing over them.
During a recent episode of the podcast Sex, Lies, And Spray Tans hosted by Cheryl Burke, Sara admitted that she began suffering from an ‘eating disorder,’ ‘anxiety’ and ‘PTSD’ (seen in 2004)
The podcast began with Cheryl asking Sara how she handles the fame that comes with ‘people’s opinions,’ which the country star admitted ‘bothered’ her (seen with her daughter in 2012)
She explained that she would spend her time reading hate comments and obsessing over them (seen in 2023)
The mom-of-three recalled one offensive comment she received about her face, which left her a mess for the rest of the day.
She revealed that the comment, ‘What happened to your face?’ had ‘bothered’ her ‘all day long.’
‘I just wanted to respond, like, “How dare you?” I haven’t done anything to my face. I’ve had Botox… You wanna know what happened to my face? I’m 52.’
The star has previously opened up about her mental health issues. In 2020, she told People what life was like for her as she suffered from anxiety, PTSD and claustrophobia after she was hit by a car when she was eight years old.
‘I had severe PTSD and anxiety, but it was the ’80s, and I didn’t have a name for it. I don’t think my mother even thought, like, “Maybe I should take her to therapy.” I thought I could handle it because I’m tough,’ she told the outlet.
The country star revealed that she had ‘succumbed to extreme anxiety’ and ‘depression’ that lasted for weeks.
However, she said that she being prescribed anti-anxiety medication ‘saved’ her.
She said: ‘It calmed me down. Taking it also made me realize you’re not going to be this way forever. I always tell my kids, “The toll that anxiety takes on your body and on your mind, I think, is so much worse than if you have to take [medication] to calm down.”
Last month, the country star shocked fans when she revealed that she she and husband Jay are back together over two years after her divorce filing and his arrest (seen in 2023)
She revealed they had reconciled and were remaining married on the debut episode of her podcast, Diving Deep with Sara Evans (seen in 2012)
‘I still struggle. But I’m so grateful for every second of this life.’
Last month, the country star shocked fans when she revealed that she and husband Jay were back together, more than two years after her divorce filing and his arrest for assault.
She revealed they had reconciled and were remaining married on the debut episode of her podcast, Diving Deep with Sara Evans – where she opened up about the incident that led to his arrest in 2022.
Jay, 51, was arrested after he allegedly attempted to strike Sara and her friend with his car, but missed. He was charged with felony aggravated assault with a weapon and ultimately submitted a ‘best interest’ plea for a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment.
The deal meant the former XFL QB did not admit guilt but agreed that the state had enough evidence to prove its case, according to Steve Hayslip, spokesman for the Nashville District Attorney General’s office, at the time.
The arrest also came four months after Sara had filed for divorce from Jay, a radio personality and former pro football player, after 13 years of marriage.
