“I know a lot of you guys have been really worried about me on Instagram,” she shared in a video, opening up about the challenges she faced before seeking help.
Anne Winters shared an emotional video to address fan concerns about her weight loss, revealing she’s entered treatment where she learned that even though she thought she was fine, her “body was maybe on its last leg of survival.”
Fans had been expressing their concern in the comments of Winters’ various posts for months before the actress conceded it was time to seek help in her Instagram video post. In the caption, she wrote, “Getting help is harder than ya think. Knowing when to ask for help is step 1. And to be celebrated!!!”
“Guys, I’m so excited because guess what? I received the gift of help this week,” she shared with excitement in the video itself. “I know a lot of you guys have been really worried about me on Instagram, and I also have been keeping up with my doctor and things like that, because I wasn’t trying to get like thi s– I wasn’t trying to get this skinny, and I don’t like being this skinny, either.”
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The 13 Reasons Why star took a moment in her video to get real with her audience, saying that it’s not actually easy to get help, even when you do decide you’re ready. “I know that we all talk about mental health and, you know, just go and get help, but you guys think this is easy as like 1-2-3. Now, let me just tell ya, wanting and accepting help is, like, ground zero.”
From there, she detailed the challenges you face with “the insurance, the government, the cost, the finding where they have an availability.” For the 29-year-old actress, her age was actually a factor in finding facilities willing to take her because she said most only deal with people 26 and under.
She said she did finally find a place, with assistance, but that struggle has helped inspire her future plans. According to Winters, her experience is “leading me to what I want to do with my business, which is making that more accessible, but I’ll tell you more about that later.”
For now, she’s focused on getting the treatment she needs to “get back on track so that my body’s no longer holding me back.”
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The actress concluded her caption with the message, “Very blessed to have been given a fast track to the best help so I can get my body back to its best asap and let it catch up to my strong af mind 💞🧠🦄🤍.”
The next day, she updated her fans to let them know that she’d “made it to treatment” in a new Instagram post. She also shared that she was hoping to get permission to post video throughout her treatment so her fans can follow along her health journey.
She then wrote a little bit more about how her mind had convinced her she was fine, when clearly she wasn’t, sharing that things might have been even worse than she realized.
“Didn’t realize I actually needed to be here… I learned when malnutrition takes over- ur mind can convince you your fine- which I felt.. never had signs of weakness, been having so much energy, and clear headed.. crazy how my body was maybe on its last leg of survival,” she wrote. “I’m shocked. I honestly thought I knew my body better than this. But hey, I’ll admit I was wrong.”
She expressed thanks and gratitude for her support system. “Happy to be here and on the road to my best me yet,” she wrote.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, get help. Contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.