Amber Riley Weight Struggles: 'Glee' Star Breaks Down in Tears Over Body Image

Posted on Nov 20th 2012 4:50PM by Contessa Gayles

amber riley weight J. Scott Applewhite, AP

Just like Amber Riley's "Glee" character has struggled with her weight on the hit TV show, so too does singer/actress. The 26-year-old star broke down in tears discussing how her size has presented challenges for her as an actress during an emotional interview for the MTV series, "This Is How I Made It."

"Hollywood is a very hard place to be in," Amber confesses. "It really is. Being the person I am, you know, the size I am, being a woman, being a black woman, there's not a lot of roles for us."

"I was being offered the girl who sits in the corner and eats all day," Riley reveals of her audition roadblocks before landing a starring role on "Glee." "The girl who committed suicide because she was fat. I never wanted to play a character that hated herself. I wanted people to know that those aren't the only roles for people like me, normal girls."

"Going to the auditions and having the casting director say 'You need to loose a little weight'," she continued. "I didn't understand why people couldn't accept me for who I was. And the rejection started wearing on my self-esteem."

Despite dropping two dress sizes earlier this year, Amber says she refuses to let the Tinseltown pressures push her into dangerous dieting territory. "I'm not going to conform, and hurt myself, and do something crazy to be a size 2. My parents always instilled knowing that your beautiful, that your fearfully and wonderfully made, and that you know who you are."

"I'm a healthy person," Amber insists. "I have great friends around me that are positive. That's the key to life, is make your own path, set your own rules. There is no set rule, no set look, no set anything, you make your own rules in life, and your own decisions."

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Filed under: Hot Off the Press, Glee

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arnibah

Sister,if you want to lose weight,become a vegetarian.and eliminate sugar and salt from your diet.

November 22 2012 at 9:51 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

bluebeamerm3

fat and smelly

November 22 2012 at 6:58 AM Report abuse Permalink -3 rate up rate down Reply

bluebeamerm3

Black girls want white girl hair and will kill to get it hotcomb style, also all black girls are easy stupid and baby mamas with 5 or more baby daddys.

November 22 2012 at 6:57 AM Report abuse Permalink -6 rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to bluebeamerm3's comment

bostonbutterfly77

Is this comment comming from an obvious black male!! How dare you try to disgrace black women with those comments . Black men are making the babies then running off not taking care of their own children, Cant pull down or keep employment to save your life, filling up these prison systems like hell, shooting up each other with no remorse. but then blame blk women for downfall of todays black community. Any blk man who feels disgrace for blk women forgets they wouldnt be here if it wasnt for a black woman who had your stupid tale and put up with you. Maybe you should go to a mirror and take a long look at the so called male looking back at it.

November 22 2012 at 9:20 AM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down Reply

arnibah

You say that because you have been programmed to hate yourself.You need to join the Nation of Islam so you can learn to love youself.Remember that your mother was a black girl.You probably don't know this but,you hate her as well..

November 22 2012 at 9:46 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

willamse

Amber you're a sophisicated sexy mama (without the tattoo). So don't worry about the weight. I'll miss you Miss Trinidad...................I mean Mercedes.

November 22 2012 at 5:23 AM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down Reply

bobravv

"I'm a healthy person" Denial.

November 22 2012 at 4:25 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Wally

"I'm not going to conform, and hurt myself, and do something crazy to be a size 2. How is exercising and eating healthy going to hurt you? How are your knees and ankles? How far can you run in an emergency? I've never seen a heavy person die of starvation. All the pictures show peoples ribs and bony looking. Excuses for eating too much of the wrong thing.

November 22 2012 at 3:03 AM Report abuse Permalink -2 rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Wally's comment

Yolanda

Being skinny does not mean you are health.

November 22 2012 at 10:02 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jack21spades

The woman is gorgeous. DAMN what you heard.

November 22 2012 at 2:52 AM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down Reply

504

Amber Riley, can't wait for your solo music career & the day your debut album comes out...... I see you having a legendary career with the likes of Aretha,Whitney,Mariah......That's how talented you are and you don't have to change especially for ''Hollywood'' and irrelevant people don't matter!

November 22 2012 at 1:24 AM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down Reply

504

Love,Amber Riley that all!

November 22 2012 at 12:50 AM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down Reply

nimes10430

probably got job because of body size

November 21 2012 at 10:21 PM Report abuse Permalink -2 rate up rate down Reply

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