Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is detailing her journey of self-assurance.
The Jersey Shore star recently shared how her relationship with her body has evolved over the years.
"In high school, I suffered from an eating disorder—not eating, anorexic. Cheerleading did that to me," Snooki told E! News in an exclusive interview, going on to share how she's changed. "But then I just felt so confident in myself. I was like, ‘You know what? Whatever, I don't care what size I am. As long as I'm happy and I'm enjoying life, I don't really care.'"
And she maintained this confidence as she was thrust into the spotlight.
"When I went on the show, that's kind of where my mindset was at because I wasn't at my thinnest," the 36-year-old added. "And my body fluctuates so much because I'm so short. So like gaining five pounds looks 25 pounds on me because I'm only 4'9" So it's hard to maintain, especially after three kids."
These days, Snooki—who shares kids Lorenzo, 11; Giovanna, 9; and Angelo, 4, with husband Jionni LaValle—is focused on living a healthy life with her family.
"My mindset now is I don't want to be skinny. I don't want to be thin. I want to be strong," she continued. "Like, I want my muscles back. I want to be able to run around [with] my kids, not be out of breath. Or like...walk up the stairs and not be dying. So, my goal right now is to just be strong and have muscles."
And ultimately, the reality star is grateful that she didn't let the pressures that can come with being in the public eye get to her.
"During the whole show process back in the day of my weight fluctuating—like being very heavy and then losing weight—I never cared what anyone thought about me," she said. "I was like, 'I'm happy, I'm good, I'm confident. I feel confident in my skin no matter what size."
She continued, "So, it never really bothered me, thank God. But if I still had that mentality of my high school, I don't know how I would have made being on TV and people talking about my body. Like, I probably would have cracked."
Fans first met Snooki when Jersey Shore premiered in 2009. Now, about 15 years later, viewers can catch her and her castmates Jenni "JWoww" Farley, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Pauly "DJ Pauly D" Delvecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Deena Cortese and Angelina Pivarnick on the seventh season of Jersey Shore Family Vacation, which premieres on MTV Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. EST.
And while a lot has changed since Snooki and her costars first appeared on fans' screens, she suggested that some things are still the same.
"Even when we do our OG trips and we don't bring our kids or our families and it's just us for a couple days, I just feel like we're back to being 21 years old, partying, having a good time, fighting with each other over stupid things," she explained. "I just feel like we all mentally just grew up. We're parents, we have kids, our priorities are definitely different, but I would still say we're the same crazy group."