Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Chrissy Metz has revealed the 'devastating' way she was treated by her stepfather as a child because of her weight.
Speaking on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, the 44-year-old actor - who's best known for playing Kate in This Is Us - revealed her stepfather would weigh her in the kitchen and even threatened to 'lock the cupboards'.
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She also opened up about the 'painful abuse' she suffered at the hands of him and how his treatment of her has had lasting impacts.
"I think there's so much more awareness now around food, food issues, food behaviour... we educate people, the fear goes away. And maybe he was just fearful. I don't really know," Metz said. "But yeah, I mean, [it was] definitely mental, physical, emotional abuse for sure."
Explaining how his remarks and treatment of her as a child have left lasting impacts later on in adult life, Metz referred to 'the emotional stuff' as 'little nicks' which are so 'painful' that 'eventually you bleed out'.
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She also opened up about the 'unworthiness' she felt as a child, wondering: "Why does my weight equate my worthiness?
"And as a 12-year-old kid, it's like, how do you reconcile that in your mind?"
Now decades later, Metz is still 'trying to heal those wounds slowly but surely'.
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"It's not easy," she confessed. "The root of it is, 'I'm unworthy'."
She also explained to Lima that there was a massive 'stigma' around the topic of weight.
"Beautiful models are on a pedestal, even though they're very unhealthy as well. They're not taking care of their bodies. But when you're overweight, it's like a whole other thing. It's so bizarre," Metz pointed out.
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It was only after becoming famous after starring on the NBC programme that Metz feels people have changed their tune about her.
She recalled that, before This Is Us, people on airplanes wouldn't want to sit next to her because she was a 'big girl'.
Metz carried on: "Before the show, I could go on an airplane and someone could not want to sit next to me if they were too squished.
"But because now I'm on a TV show, they don't care. Or they're like, 'Oh, well, you're famous'.
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"It was always like, they're going to be bothered that I'm sitting next to them, or they wouldn't look at me twice or they would not engage. And then when I became, let's put it in air quotes, famous, then they want to have a conversation or they were more apt to want to sit next to me."
Admitting she still doesn't understand such behaviour, Metz wondered: "What does it really even mean?
"What could I provide to them or what insight could I share with them? I don't know. Do they feel cooler sitting next to someone who's famous? I don't know."
She added: "I don't understand it.
"That kind of behaviour... it makes you not want to trust people."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film
Rhiannon Ingle