April 07--Skokie native Erin Heatherton said she was told to lose weight while preparing for two Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows, which led her to struggle with her body image.
"I look back like, 'Really?'" Heatherton, 27, told Time magazine's Motto site in a recent interview. Reps for Victoria's Secret didn't respond to a Tribune request for comment.
Heatherton, who walked the runway in six Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows, said she couldn't get her body to where she wanted it to be for the 2013 show.
"I was really depressed because I was working so hard and I felt like my body was resisting me," said Heatherton, who played basketball at Niles North High School. "And I got to a point where one night I got home from a workout and I remember staring at my food and thinking maybe I should just not eat."
Motto reported that shortly after that show, Heatherton parted ways with Victoria's Secret and focused on listening to her body.
"I realized I couldn't go out into the world -- parading my body and myself in front of all these women who look up to me -- and tell them that this is easy and simple and everyone can do this," she said.
She went on to pose for the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
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