One of the biggest reasons why Rebel Wilson embarked on her weight loss journey was her desire to become a mother.
Appearing on the cover of the latest issue of People magazine, the 42-year-old Australian star recalled an appointment with a fertility doctor that sparked her weight loss.
“He kind of looked me up and down and said, ‘Well, you’d do much better if you were healthier’,” Wilson shared.
At the time, the actress believed she was healthy. She didn’t have any serious diseases.
“I was a bit taken aback. I thought, ‘Oh, God. That guy is so rude’.”
But Wilson said she soon realised her doctor was right.
“I was carrying around a lot of excess weight. It’s almost like I didn’t think of my own needs. I thought of a future child’s needs and so that really inspired me to get healthier.”
Time for change
Wilson, best known for her role as Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect franchise, embarked on her “year of health” in 2020 and, in time, lost 37 kilograms.
“It wasn’t about a particular number, although you had to measure it in some way. But it was more about just becoming the healthiest version of myself,” she told People.
Even so, Wilson had some pushback from her inner circle.
“I obviously had a very successful career and utilised my physicality, so there were people in my life saying, ‘Well, you’re doing great. Why would you want to change anything?’”
But Wilson’s year of health meant much more to her than just shedding kilos.
It was about confronting the issues that caused her to emotionally eat, such as her struggles with self-worth.
“You cry a lot, analyse things. I’d never done that before. It’s really hard to know why you don’t feel worthy when people look at my life on paper and say you’ve done all these amazing things. That’s what I’m trying to overcome.”
‘I’m still trying’
Wilson has spoken about her fertility struggles before, particularly her polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis, which can affect fertility.
PCOS, which causes hormonal imbalance and metabolism issues, affects one in 10 women of childbearing age.
Her fertility process has made her sympathise with others going through similar experiences.
She spoke of receiving calls from her doctor with good news, only to receive bad news on another day.
“I don’t know how it’s going to end,” she said, “but I’m still trying. And I’m still young enough to try.”
Although the actress told People that she was “going for it by myself at the moment”, she recently confirmed to the dating podcast U Up? that she is happily in a relationship now.
“If I meet the right person, great, and then they can fit in with whatever happens,” she told the magazine.
Back to school
Her new movie, Senior Year, premiered on Netflix on May 13.
Wilson plays Stephanie Conway, who falls into a 20-year coma after a cheerleading accident.
Waking up as a 37-year-old woman, having aged only physically, Stephanie returns to her high school to reclaim her seat at the popular table and win the ever-elusive prom queen title.
Although people feared for Wilson’s career after her weight loss, her latest film’s success on Netflix is a statement in itself.
On Thursday, Senior Year was the no.1 movie on Netflix Australia.
