Hayden Panettiere Opens Up About Teenage Battle With "Body Dysmorphia"

Nashville star tells Women's Health she "was mortified" when a magazine pointed out her cellulite, but reminds herself "beauty is an opinion, not a fact"

By Rebecca Macatee Sep 17, 2012 6:00 PMTags
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Hayden Panettiere is absolutely adorable, but even she has struggled with her self image.

In an interview with Women's Health, the 23-year-old Nashville star opens up about being "mortified" when a magazine published a picture of her backside in jean shorts with the word "cellulite."

"It gave me such body dysmorphia for so long," she says, referring to a body-image syndrome involving negative self-image. "But I remember reminding myself that beauty is an opinion, not a fact. And it has always made me feel better."

Hayden Panettiere says her Nashville character is NOT based on Taylor Swift!

She tells the mag that now she tries to eat healthfully but doesn't "go crazy over it."

"I mean, you gotta eat," she says, adding that others "can tell when you're happy with being you and when you're not."

"As I've gotten older and grown into my body, I've started realizing that the way you carry yourself and that light coming out of your eyes are the most attractive things about you," she adds.

Amen, sister!