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Jane Fonda got to grips with her 30-year battle with bulimia through her famous exercise videos.
The 9 to 5 actress launched her classic fitness platform with the release of Jane Fonda's Workout in 1982, and now admits focusing on the exercise series at the age of 45 helped her finally beat the eating disorder, with which she had struggled since her teens.
“I was doing the workout before I started the business, and it gave me back a sense of control over my body," she explained to People. "I started the workout, and that kind of cemented my ability to eat normal, which I can do now."
Jane, who also deprived herself of eating food while battling anorexia in her teens and early adulthood, has a message of hope for those suffering through eating disorders, insisting the diseases can be defeated.
"The longer space you put between yourself and the addiction, the easier it gets," the 80 year old said. "Some people say you can never get over it, but you can."
Although the Grace & Frankie star found it tough to tackle bulimia and anorexia initially, she found herself in a place during her mid-40s when she could no longer handle the physical affects of the eating disorders.
“There was a point in my mid-40s where I realised if I continued to be controlled by these addictions, that I was going to... I don’t know if I was going to die, but my life would fall apart," she shared. "As you get older, with each binge, the fatigue and the hostility and self-loathing lasts longer.
"I had a husband and children and a career, and I was politically active. I couldn’t keep doing it all and allow this addiction to ruin my life. So I stopped cold turkey."
“Oh it was so hard,” Jane added, before admitting her eating disorders actually had little to do with food. "It has to do with filling a hole. We’re vessels that need to be full in spirits... but there are other ways to fill it.”