Giuliana Rancic Does Not Have an Eating Disorder

Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic

Giuliana Rancic knows she’s too thin, but others talking about it won’t change anything. The E! News anchor, who has continuously been the subject of disparaging remarks about her body says that while her appearance has always been a talking point, in recent months the conversation has reached a fever pitch, and she’s finally addressing the issue.

"It’s really hurtful," the 40-year-old told People in an interview that was released on Wednesday morning. Appearing thinner than ever on red carpets throughout awards season, there has been plenty of speculation that Rancic has an eating disorder. As it turns out, her weight loss and inability to put on pounds is a side-effect of the cancer-suppressing medication that she has been taking since 2012. “Some people were saying, ‘The cancer is probably back,’” Rancic, who is in remission following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2011. “And they were accusing me of every eating disorder. I thought to myself, ‘God, if someone really thought I had an eating disorder, what a horrible way to approach it.’”

Rancic’s insistent that she maintains a healthy diet, eating more than any of her friends and consuming “dessert almost every night.” Yet despite her best efforts to change her body, it’s possible, according to her oncologist, that her metabolism prevents that from happening. “I look in the mirror and it’s hard for me,” she admitted. “I am really thin. I want to look fit and beautiful and sexy, and I can’t.”

The TV personality whose memoir, Going Off Script, hits shelves April 7, elucidated that just because there’s discussion from the peanut gallery regarding her appearance, doesn’t mean that a change is going to come. “I’m sorry that some people think I’m disgustingly skinny, as they put it, but there’s nothing I can do. I’m lucky that I even have the type of cancer that reacts to the medicine.”

As Claire Mysko, the Director of Programs for the National Eating Disorders Association explains to Yahoo Style, “The bottom line is it’s never helpful to criticize someone’s physical appearance. Rancic’s health is between her and her doctor and speculation about her weight sets a negative, shaming tone.”

Yet Rancic hopes that if she adds her own voice into the mix, the perspective and opinions people hold surrounding her will shift from scrutiny regarding her figure to focus on her career and other accomplishments. ”I never want my weight to distract people from what I do. … But it is becoming a distraction,” she said. No matter, she’ll persevere. “I have so many beautiful things in my life.”

More from Yahoo Style:
The Art of the Celebrity Apology: Zendaya Accepts Giuliana Rancic’s “I’m Sorry”
Why Giuliana Rancic Refuses to Talk About Her Body (For Now)
Tara Reid’s “Shocking,” “Alarming” & “Scary Skinny” Body Is on Display