‘Vanderpump Rules’ Ariana Madix Battled Depression & Severe Eating Disorder

Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix revealed she had a “full-blown eating disorder” when she first joined the show. Thankfully, she has healed since then. However, Ariana admits she has “some tendencies toward disordered eating” that she still struggles with. The 36-year-old opened up about her time on the show in a new interview with her co-star Scheana Shay on the podcast Scheananigans.

For example, Ariana joked that she’s “grown in size.” She’s become comfortable with her body these days. Ariana opened up about her struggles with body image on the show. Yet, she never revealed that she struggled with an eating disorder until now.

Ariana Madix opens up about her eating disorder

Ariana Madix joined Vanderpump Rules in 2013 during the second season. At the time, she was struggling with a “full-blown eating disorder.” She refused to eat and didn’t recognize she had a problem. Over the years, Ariana entered recovery and gained more control over her eating habits.

“I feel like I have some tendencies toward disordered eating, but at least I’m more now conscious of it and will fight against it to be healthy,” Ariana Madix told Scheana Shay. “Whereas in the past I was like, ‘Just don’t eat, just don’t eat.’ And that was bad.”

In that same interview, she discussed her mental health struggles. Ariana first opened up about her struggles with depression and anxiety on Vanderpump Rules Season 8. She admitted to Lisa Vanderpump that she had dangerous thoughts. Ariana said she was depressed “for a very long time.”

The Bravo star was wondering if she should attend Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s wedding. Jax removed Sandoval from his role of best man. Ariana was “emotionally unstable” around that time. She told co-stars Lala Kent and Stassi Schroeder about the thoughts that popped into her head every time she drove home at night.

Vanderpump Rules star struggled with depression

Ariana Madix was aware that her thoughts weren’t “safe.” In that same episode, she told Sandoval the thoughts that haunted her. On the Friday, February 11, episode of Scheana Shay’s podcast, she said that she has since worked on her mental health. The reality star has been seeing a therapist and knows how to deal with her depression in “waves.”

“I think that recognizing it as a thing and allowing it to be what it is has definitely helped with getting better or at least dealing with it as it comes in those waves, those ups, and downs,” Ariana Madix explained. “[My depression] was probably always there a little bit under the surface, but I would fight against it so hard I didn’t know what to call it.”

The Fancy AF Cocktails co-author was able to put a name to it. Thankfully, Ariana is able to recognize the signs. While she claims that her depression is “separate from me,” she knows that it’s still around. Check back with TV Shows Ace for more news on Ariana Madix.