© Provided by Cover MediaGabourey Sidibe
Gabourey Sidibe has opened up about her battle with an eating disorder and depression in an emotional new interview with her Empire co-star Taraji P. Henson.
The Precious actress made an appearance on Henson's Facebook Watch series, Peace of Mind with Taraji, and said she would spend her days uncontrollably crying as she struggled with her mental health.
"I was so embarrassed, and I hated crying so much, I hated it," Gabourey explained, adding that her bulimia was a "button" that would stop her from crying while in college.
"And on top of that, people were like, 'You're looking good.' So I'm like, why would I stop? Like, this is dope, in a way," she said, calling it a "self-defense mechanism."
"It wasn't about losing weight, it wasn't about controlling my appetite," Gabourey shared. "That's what bulimia was for me. It wasn't about losing weight, it wasn't about controlling my appetite. It truly was about how it stopped me from crying,
The 37-year-old insisted she has come to terms with the mental health issues behind her bulimia, and told Taraji she now realises she was losing control of her eating disorder when she was younger.
"It felt like I was controlling my emotions - I was not, I was out of control. I was getting worse," the Oscar nominee said. "Being depressed is one thing, if you add an eating disorder on top of that, that's a whole other monster you have to fight."