Sasha Pieterse opens up about body dysmorphia struggles while starring in Pretty Little Liars

As per a recent article by US Weekly, actress Sasha Pieterse recently opened up about her struggle with a health crisis while working on a hit television show.

During a recent episode of the SHE MD podcast on August 19, the 29-year-old actress told Dr.Thaïs Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney that when she was portraying an "It Girl" on television at the age of 17, she had also gained weight and was battling health conditions.

Pieterse rose to fame after her breakthrough role as the lead protagonist in the hit show Pretty Little Liars.

"I started Pretty Little Liars when I was 12. By 17, I had gained 70 pounds and was silently battling seizures, irregular periods, acne and hair loss, while playing an ‘It Girl’ on TV,” Pieterse revealed on the podcast.

Pretty Little Liars ran for seven seasons between the years 2010 to 2017. Sasha Pieterse played the character of Alison DiLaurentis on the mystery teen drama series and became an instant hit among teenagers.

“I really started struggling with something, I didn’t know what it was. I had also just been diagnosed with epilepsy, which nobody knew until very recently. So I was dealing with seizures with no cause - and I started gaining weight,” the actress said.

The actress further gave details about struggling with epilepsy. She also admitted that she was going through body dysmorphia and waves of depression.

Pieterse mentioned that she had also been having irregular periods since she was 10 years old and had visited 17 different gynecologists in an attempt to figure out why it wasn't getting better.

“They all said I was just eating too much or not exercising enough, even though I was doing everything right. If I ate more salads, I would’ve turned green.” Sasha Pieterse said while she explained that her concerns were brushed off.

Pieterse was later diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). The actress revealed that it was a happy moment for her when she finally learnt what was going on.

“I’m not crazy, there is actually something that’s going on with me - now I have a label. Now I know that there are steps I can take to try and regulate it and move forward,” she said.

More about Sasha Pieterse

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sasha Pieterse immigrated to America in the year 2000 with her dancer parents. She started acting at a young age and started getting gigs in films as well as television series.

Movies that Pieterse has acted in include The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, X-Men: First Class (2011), and Good Luck Chuck. She has also worked in television series such as House and Heroes before landing the iconic role of Alison in Pretty Little Liars in 2010.

She also costarred with Joaquin Phoenix and Martin Short in the film G.B.F. (2013) and as Japonica Fenway in Paul Thomas Anderson's G.B.F. (2013).

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Sasha got married to Hudson Sheaffer in 2018. The couple shares a child named Hendrix Wade Sheaffer.

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