Jennifer Coolidge: I was eating myself to death

Jennifer Coolidge. Pic/AFP

Actor Jennifer Coolidge has said that she was eating herself to "death" and put on "between 30 to 40 pounds" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Legally Blonde star has opened up about her "excessive" comfort eating during the global health crisis, and how she didn't want to film after over-indulging on Vegan pizzas.

A still from The White Lotus

She said, "I just didn't want to be on camera that fat because of my excessive eating during COVID. I thought we were all going to die, I really did, so I was just eating myself to death. Vegan pizzas, sometimes five or six in a day."

The actor, 60, said that she even contemplated declining her part in The White Lotus because she didn't want to be chunky on screen. Fortunately, a good friend made her see sense. "I'm fat right now. And she said, ‘Jennifer this is all you have! What the f'''? These opportunities don't come around, you idiot!' We all need these friends."

Coolidge, who plays Tanya McQuoid in the mini-series, said she always felt she was "pudgy", and none of her castmates batted an eyelid about her added quarantine pounds, and she would have regretted not being in the show. "I was always kind of pudgy anyway so what's another 40 pounds. It's all in our head. I'm glad I had a good friend who talked me off the ledge and didn't blow a really cool gig. If I had watched The White Lotus and realised I [could have done it], I would have jumped off a bridge," says the actor.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever