Why The Real Housewives of New York's Jules Wainstein Went Public With Her Eating Disorder Battle

Bethenny Frankel praises the reality star for her openness

By Chris Harnick May 05, 2016 3:01 PMTags
Real Housewives of New York City Season 8Bravo

From the moment she appeared on screen on The Real Housewives of New York City, Jules Wainstein's weight has been a hot topic of conversation. Almost everybody has had a comment about it, or her eating habits. But it didn't take long for the RHONY newcomer to open up about her past eating disorder battle to castmate Bethenny Frankel over brunch.

"I'm so open about it because I always say secrets keep you sick," she told Bethenny. "I want my friends to know so I don't get away with this s—t."

Jules was on Watch What Happens Live with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess and opened up about her reveal to Bethenny.

"I'm not like, ‘Hi I'm Julianne Wainstein and I have an eating disorder,'" she told host Andy Cohen. "But if it's appropriate, like at that time we had lunch together, and she asked me why I had a break in my college years and I said, ‘Oh, because I was in a treatment center.' It was the right time. I'm very open about it, it's part of my recovery."

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Andy asked if it's something she struggles with every day and Jules said, "you're never cured of an eating disorder."

"You live with it, you can live a life with it…It's really hard to talk about, but you can live with it and you live a normal life," she said.

The reality star said she knew her weight would be a topic of discussion for the ladies when she joined the show, but she thought it "would be a positive thing" and maybe her story will help a viewer at home.

"So Jules shared that she suffered from an eating disorder in the past. This is rough for her and, from my perspective, for everyone around her," Bethenny wrote in her Bravo blog. "This took courage, and I hope she has gotten past it. It never really leaves you, and I haven't seen Jules eat, so I'm sure this is a very complicated, layered issue. While it is not about me, I grew up surrounded by it, and this is a very sensitive area for me. It is why I wrote Naturally Thin, to help people with their 'food noise' and unleash themselves from a lifetime of dieting."

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Wednesdays, 9 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
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