Fitness Star Maayan Ashkenazi Opens Up About Weight Gain and Anxiety
Fitness star Maayan Ashkenazi opens up about gaining 10 kilos due to stress, rocket fire near her home, and emotional eating, facing harsh industry reactions.
Maayan Ashkenazi, the 34-year-old fitness coach and well-known reality television star, has opened up about her intense emotional and physical struggles over the past two years. Following a painful breakup, intense media exposure, and a terrifying security incident where a rocket struck near her home, Ashkenazi spiraled into emotional eating and gained approximately 10 kilograms.
Overcoming Anxiety and Body Shaming
In a candid interview during the opening of a new gym in Bat Yam, Ashkenazi shared how the accumulated stress impacted her daily life. "I started experiencing anxiety, and I reached a point where I wouldn't leave the house at night," she confessed. "Then a rocket hit near my home. The house was damaged, things were broken, and there was shrapnel everywhere. I fell into extreme stress, which led to emotional eating, and I gained about 10 kilos over these two years."
"My agent tried to book campaigns for me, but clients said: 'What happened to her?' As a child, I struggled with eating disorders, which is why I entered the fitness world. This crushed me, and I hid away... I gave away about 20 bags of clothes. I changed my entire wardrobe and went up three sizes in jeans."
Rebuilding Confidence
Ashkenazi admitted that the physical changes deeply affected her self-image and her dating life, noting that she actively avoided romantic connections out of shame. Having first risen to fame in 2016 during the eighth season of the reality show "Big Brother" and previously maintaining a highly publicized relationship with Avihai Ohana, she continues to manage a massive social media presence with nearly 230,000 followers while working to rebuild her confidence and return to her healthy lifestyle.
