Naya Rivera is baring all in her upcoming memoir, Sorry Not Sorry. In an excerpt in People, she opens up about past relationships, her marriage, and difficult experiences like dealing with anorexia and getting an abortion.
The 29-year-old actress, who soared into stardom after playing singing teen Santana Lopez on hit TV show Glee, wrote that she found out she was pregnant with actor Ryan Dorsey’s child in 2010. She had just broken up with him to focus on her career, and she didn’t feel ready to have a child.
A photo posted by Naya Rivera Dorsey (@nayarivera) on
Rivera went on to say that she did not reveal the pregnancy to Dorsey, and decided to terminate the pregnancy during a day off from filming Glee.
Rivera has since reunited with Dorsey—the pair wed in 2014. They have an 11-month-old son, Josey.
A photo posted by Naya Rivera Dorsey (@nayarivera) on
“It was very scary to open up about everything,” Rivera told People. “It’s not something a lot of people talk about, but I think they should. I know some people might read it and say, ‘What the Hell?’ But I hope someone out there gets something out of it.”
The actress also spoke about her struggles with anorexia. Click to the next page to read more.
Rivera began developing an eating disorder to cope with her parents’ marital problems.
“By the time I was a sophomore, I started feeling that what had begun as a game had maybe gone too far. I just avoided food at all costs,” she writes in Sorry Not Sorry. “If my mom had packed a lunch for me, I’d either trash it or find some excuse to give it away.”
The actress told People that she didn’t realize how serious her eating disorder was until she started writing her book.
“I hope Josey will read it one day. I hope it gives him a better perspective on the issues women face.”
A photo posted by Naya Rivera Dorsey (@nayarivera) on
“I was so young and it just seemed to be the norm. Everyone was going through similar stuff,” she said. “I had no way of knowing if I was going through it worse. I was juggling my feelings and it makes me sad that there are girls still going through that 15 years after I went through it.”
The actress hopes that speaking up about her experience will let other women know that they are not alone. She also hopes that her son will learn from her experiences as well.
“I hope Josey will read it one day,” she says of her memoir. “I hope it gives him a better perspective on the issues women face.”
READ: The many and different outcomes of abortion on teen girls
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