Rhea Ripley said she has been dealing with an eating disorder after fans online fixated on her body and weight, opening up about the struggle in a recent appearance on Pod Meets World. The WWE star said the last year has been really difficult and that she chose to speak publicly only after spending time trying to understand what was happening.
“I tried to keep the whole eating disorder quiet for a while because I’m still figuring it out,” Ripley said, adding that the situation has come in waves, with some periods much harder than others. She said she wants to be as open as possible about her struggles because it might help someone else going through something similar.
The 29-year-old said the problem stemmed from stress and from feeling out of control. Not being able to control work, her schedule and her home life all fed into it, she said, and the pressure did not stop when she went to Australia and could not control how the crowd responded to her peers. Ripley said she has tried to keep herself around people who are there for her and care for her, naming her husband Buddy Matthews, her dogs and her friend Tommy as strong points.
Ripley’s comments landed because online criticism of wrestling stars can quickly turn personal, and she said remarks about her body, her booking and even her character as a person have become routine. She also addressed posts suggesting she had to lose weight because of back pain and others accusing her of being “off the roids.” Ripley pushed back on that directly: “We get tested,” she said. “I’m not on anything.”
That contradiction is what gives her remarks their force. Ripley is among the most discussed stars online, so the same audience that speculates about her body is now hearing her explain how that scrutiny can help drive private harm. She said she had wanted to keep the disorder quiet while she was still figuring it out, but decided the better course was to speak honestly rather than let rumors define the story for her.
What comes next is inside the ring. Ripley will challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Title at WrestleMania 42, giving her a major title match while she is still publicly navigating the fallout from the past year. Her disclosure answers the question behind the headlines: the comments were not just noise, and for Ripley, they became part of a real health struggle she is still working through.