Wasting Away—Portia De Rossi Opens Up About Weighing Just 82 Lbs. While Battling Bulimia

Portia de Rossi seems to have it all — great looks, a high profile marriage to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, and a successful career that has spanned decades.

However, behind the scenes life hasn't always been so perfect for the Scandal star. In the second season of the web series It Gets Better, which is designed to provide hope for teens struggling with their sexual identity, 42-year-old de Rossi opens up about struggling with bulimia from an early age, and how the disorder was tied to the emotions she felt about her budding sexuality.

"I felt tremendous responsibility when I was 12 years old, and I was put up on a catwalk," de Rossi reveals in a clip of the interview.

"My modeling agents had told me to go on a diet. So I didn't eat for 10 days before then," she continues, adding that other models bullied her about her bushy eyebrows.

"When I got in the car after that event and just opened up a bag of my favorite candy and just put my whole head in it and I think, 'S**t, what have I done? I've just undid two weeks worth of dieting.' So then I vomit."

The actress also explained that her weight dropping to a scary 82 lbs. due to the eating disorder was tied to her struggle to come to terms with her sexual identity. "I didn't want to think about being gay," she admitted in another clip.

Now that de Rossi's in a better place in her life, she hopes that her story can help youth who are also struggling with some of the same issues. "No matter what it is, you just have to go with whatever makes you smile."