Jacqueline Fernandez reveals she punished herself for eating in her 20s: ‘It happened because of my pageant days’

Jacqueline Fernandez has opened up on her struggles with food habits during her younger days. Speaking to Shilpa Shetty on her new show, Jacqueline shared that she used to punish herself for eating when she was in her 20s. Shilpa and Jacqueline were talking on the first episode of Shape of You. (Also read: Shilpa-Jacqueline laugh over controversies: ‘We’ll live our lives’)

When Shilpa Shetty asked if Jacqueline changes her food habits when under stress, she said, “In my 20s I did go through quite a lot of eating issues. A lot. It happened because of my pageant days, I did not realise then but to be appearing on an international platform at the age of 19 (had its own pressures). That is when the pressure really got to me, I did not know how to handle it. Food became the enemy. That then continued in my 20s and continued (when I became an actor) being in front of the camera.”

She added, “Like (I would worry about) how I am going to look in front of the camera. It was like you would punish yourself for eating. But, I was blessed that I was able to overcome it. Slowly, it took time. There would be times when I would be go for months and would be okay and then something would happen, and I would go back into the habit. I was quite horrible actually, but it was definitely something that made me stronger and much more aware of food.

Jacqueline also said that an actor once told her, “Be like Shilpa Shetty” when she was too choosy with her food on sets of a film. When Jacqueline said she’d let go of her hair (which she loves a lot), if a role requires her to grow bald, Shilpa told her, “You have suddenly become a saint! A pole dancing saint, with a halo around your head.” Shilpa also posed as if holding a pole while dancing as both the actors laughed.

Jacqueline is currently gearing up for the release of her new film, Bachchhan Paandey which also features Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Arshad Warsi and Pankaj Tripathi.