Alexa Bliss has revealed that her battle with anorexia took another dangerous turn in college after a cheerleading coach encouraged her to lose weight to earn a spot on the national championship team. The WWE Superstar said she warned the coach about her history with anorexia, but the pressure to reach a certain weight sent her back into the same dangerous habits that had previously put her in the hospital.
Speaking on What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon, Bliss explained that she had already gone through treatment for anorexia before attending college. Her previous cheerleading coaches had even removed her from the team until she reached a healthy weight, something she now appreciates because they were looking out for her.
However, the situation changed when she joined her college cheerleading program. Bliss said the team was required to undergo body-fat testing, and the results were posted. They were also expected to check into the gym multiple times a day.
“And so they made us do these bod pods where you go in and they measure your body fat percentage and they were posted. And then we had to sign into the gym like twice a day.”
Bliss said she immediately recognized the danger of being placed in that environment again. She approached her coach and explained why the requirements made her uncomfortable.
“And I remember telling her like, ‘Hey, I can’t do that. I just got over anorexia last year. I don’t feel comfortable.'”
Instead of removing the pressure, Bliss said the coach told her that reaching a certain weight could help her become the only freshman on the national championship team.
“Well, if you get to this weight, you’d be the only freshman on the Nationals team.”
For Bliss, who had spent years competing in gymnastics and cheerleading, that was enough to send her back down a dangerous path.
“And so it just kinda, the competitiveness in me, I just started losing weight. The same thing happened.”
Bliss made it clear that she doesn’t believe the coach deliberately tried to hurt her. She said the coach eventually recognized something was wrong and began encouraging her to eat, even suggesting they go to Dairy Queen after practice.
“I don’t think she realized. And it wasn’t on purpose.”
She explained that the coach became concerned as her condition worsened, but by that point Bliss was already losing control.
“And then she got really concerned and she was like, ‘Hey, maybe after practice, let’s go to Dairy Queen or something. Let’s go get, let’s go.'”
Things eventually became so serious that Bliss decided she couldn’t remain at college. She remembered leaving after a game while still wearing her cheerleading uniform and returning home to seek medical help.
“And so I remember I was in my cheer uniform after a game and I was like, ‘Guys, this was fun, but I got to go.’ I was like, ‘I got to go home.'”
Bliss said her weight had fallen back into a dangerous range, and she admitted herself to the same hospital that had treated her during her teenage years.
“Drove home in my uniform, packed my car up with as much stuff as I could, drove home, admitted myself the next day to the hospital that I was in before and was there for about a month, but it was a completely different program.”
This time, Bliss said the treatment was much better. Instead of concentrating almost entirely on getting her weight back up, doctors focused on understanding the psychological reasons behind her eating disorder. She explained how much the hospital’s approach had changed since her first stay.
“It was, let’s find the reason for- Why does this keep happening? Why does this happen? Yeah. So they gave me a psychiatrist, a psychologist-“
“We now treat this like a mental illness, not a physical illness where just gain weight and get out.”
Bliss specifically praised Nationwide Children’s Hospital for improving its treatment program. She said the second hospitalization helped her recover before she eventually moved into competitive bodybuilding, which ultimately led to her WWE career. Ringside News has previously covered Bliss’ struggles with anorexia and how she addressed her body-image issues. Her latest comments give a much closer look at how pressure inside competitive sports affected her recovery.
Bliss doesn’t blame her former coach for intentionally hurting her, but she knows the pressure to lose weight had serious consequences. What was supposed to be an opportunity to make the national championship team ended with another month in the hospital, and it took a completely different treatment approach to help her get better.
What do you think about Alexa Bliss revealing that pressure from her college cheerleading program contributed to her anorexia relapse? Should coaches be held to stricter standards when dealing with athletes who have a history of eating disorders? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
