Thin at all costs

Kristin Davis starved herself into unconsciousness for a role

"If you had hips, that was problematic!" Kristin Davis denounces the body ideal of the series "Melrose Place".

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Cindy Ord)

She became a global star with "Sex and the City". But Kristin Davis made her Hollywood breakthrough back in 1995 with the series "Melrose Place". Now the 59-year-old reveals in People magazine how much pressure she was under to be as thin as possible. Which is why she starved herself and did extreme work-outs - despite the negative consequences.

Davis already had inferiority complexes on the first day on set when she saw her colleagues: "Every single one of them was stunningly beautiful and super thin. Which is why I tried to keep up, of course."

Producers stressed about curves
She ate less and exercised regularly without overdoing it. But that wasn't enough. Her co-star Thomas Calabro revealed that the producers had made negative comments about her weight behind her back: "We were both sitting in the dressing room when he suddenly said to me: 'Kristin, I think you look great'."

Kristin Davis revealed that she had gone on an extreme diet for the series "Melrose Place".

(Bild: APA-PictureDesk/mptv)

Davis thanked him, but then asked him why he had paid her this compliment. Colabro's answer: "I know the producers are totally stressed out about you. But I think it's great that we have a woman with curves with us. I hope they don't put too much pressure on you to lose them."

Giving in to diet pressure
Davis was blindsided and confronted one of the co-producers: "Thomas said you're stressed about my weight. Did Mr. (series boss Aaron) Spelling criticize it?" The answer was anything but reassuring for her: "We think you look beautiful. But don't gain any more weight!"

In a panic, Davis hired an endurance coach and took 180-minute spinning classes every day. On top of that, she drastically reduced her calorie consumption. "I was frustrated and wanted to do it with all my might. I'm sure I didn't eat anything."

"Became powerless"
As a result, she kept getting dizzy and "I fainted once in the parking lot". Her memory also became patchy at times: "Sometimes I couldn't remember my own name. The bad thing was that back then it was considered normal to live such an extreme life. If you had hips, that was problematic!"

It took many years for Davis to accept herself and her body as it is: "I love the shape of my body and that I no longer worry about being skinny."