Alexa Bliss has revealed how one cruel comment from a teenage boy helped send her into a dangerous battle with anorexia that nearly cost her life. The WWE Superstar said being called “thunder thighs” made her so self-conscious about her body that she became obsessed with losing weight, even as her health continued to deteriorate.
Speaking on the November 2026 episode of What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon, Bliss opened up about her struggles as a teenager. Stephanie McMahon asked whether she remembered the specific comments that first made her concerned about her weight when she was 16 years old. Bliss immediately remembered what a boy had said to her.
“Yes, I was called thunder thighs. That’s such a silly comment for a teenage boy to make, but for some reason-“
Stephanie asked whether the boy was someone Bliss had feelings for, but she explained that he was just another boy. The comment hit particularly hard because Bliss was already uncomfortable with how her legs looked compared to other girls.
“No, it was just a boy. Yeah. And I was already kind of paranoid of my legs. I was a gymnast. I had the muscular- I had great legs. Looking back on them, I was like, dang, I had great legs.”
Bliss explained that growing up with a muscular build made her feel different from other girls her age. Looking back, she realizes there was nothing wrong with her body, but that one comment reinforced the insecurities she already had.
“The same, it really got to me for some reason. And I think it was just one comment that really just-“
Things got much worse from there. Bliss said she developed a daily habit of examining her legs in the bathroom mirror, using whether her thighs touched as a measure of how she felt about herself.
“Yeah, every day I would stand on my bathroom tub because there was a mirror and I would look to see if my thighs touched, if my feet were together. Every single day. And if they didn’t, it was a good day.”
Bliss explained that she became severely restrictive with food while continuing to participate in high school cheerleading, competitive cheerleading, track, and school activities. Her weight eventually fell dangerously low, and doctors discovered that her heart rate had dropped to approximately 28 beats per minute. She admitted just how close things came to ending badly.
“Oh yeah. I’m really lucky I didn’t die.”
One of the hardest memories involved her mother, who desperately begged her to eat because she feared losing her daughter. Bliss admitted that her response at the time is something she still struggles with today.
“And I remember my mom’s crying to me and she was just like, ‘Please eat. Like you’re gonna die.’ And I remember, and this still haunts me to this day, I looked at her and I said, ‘Well, then let me.'”
Bliss explained that her parents were doing everything they could to help, but she wasn’t mentally ready to accept that she needed treatment.
“Because I was just so self-conscious and she broke down and she was just trying, her and my dad were trying everything in their power, but it was just one of those things like you don’t get better until you want to.”
She also admitted that even when she told her parents she wanted to recover, she was still struggling with the need to control her eating. Bliss has discussed her struggles with anorexia before. Ringside News previously covered how she incorporated her eating disorder recovery into a meaningful tattoo, including references to Disney and the difficult period of her life when she was hospitalized.
Looking back, Bliss realizes that her muscular legs were never the problem. What started with one boy’s insult became a years-long battle that nearly killed her, and she still remembers the pain her parents went through trying to save her.
What do you think about Alexa Bliss revealing how one comment about her body helped trigger such a dangerous eating disorder? How should parents and schools handle body-shaming comments among teenagers? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
