Helen Hunt, 61, reveals she does not diet, use Botox, or get plastic surgery
Helen Hunt, 61, refuses to conform to Hollywood's beauty standards but admits she used to feel pressure to look a certain way.
Speaking to Flow Space, she said: 'It felt impossible not to internalize the way you're supposed to look. And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.'
Helen realized that Hollywood's beauty standards were affecting her self-esteem but she now would not allow outside pressures to damage her mental health.
Helen said: 'I realized, "This could quietly ruin your whole life." I made a decision: I'm not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.'
Her new approach has been heavily influenced by The Only Diet There Is, a book written by the spiritual leader Sondra Ray.
The actress said: 'What I took from it, is eat what you want and love every bite, period.'
This also meant Helen has refused Botox and plastic surgery as she prefers to age naturally.
Meanwhile, she admitted to obsessing about her appearance in the 80s after feeling pressure to look a certain way at the time - but a change of attitude has proven to be transformational for her.
Speaking to HuffPost Live, Helen said: 'I had my run in the 80s about being really worried about how I looked. Everybody was more fit, or more thin, and I maxed out on worrying about it.'
Helen's change in attitude has benefited her mental and physical health.
The actress said: 'I just gave up on worrying about it. When I gave it up, my brain and body got better.
'I was taking these exercise classes called abs, thighs, and buns and I was like, "I'm going to be dead one day — do I really want to give up an hour in this class?"'
Helen has an Academy Award, four Emmys, and four Golden Globes under her belt.
She's known for her roles in film, theater, and television, including the NBC sitcom Mad About You (1992–1999) and the 1997 romantic comedy As Good as It Gets. For her portrayal of Jamie Buchman in Mad About You, Hunt won four Emmys, three Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
While decades have passed since Helen played Sarah Jessica Parker 's free-spirited best friend in Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985), Helen still carries that unmistakable movie-star glow.
She was seen last month's Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where she wowed in a chic Christian Siriano gown and held hands with Nordling.
The couple first crossed paths while co-starring in Shooter, a 1988 NBC movie about war photographers working in Vietnam.
She played Tracey, while he took on the role of Matt Thompson - but romance didn't seem to spark back then.
Fast forward to May 2022, and fans started speculating that their could be love blossoming between the pair when Jeffrey shared a group photo from Dodger Stadium, where he and Helen were hanging out with Camryn Manheim and Billie Jean King.
By October, they made things official with a red carpet debut at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 20th Anniversary Gala at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Hunt was born on June 15, 1963, in Culver City, California, and began acting as a child, making her television debut in the 1973 series Pioneer Woman.
She gained widespread recognition for her role as Jamie Buchman in Mad About You (1992–1999), earning four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 1997, Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Carol Connelly in As Good As It Gets, starring opposite Jack Nicholson.
She continued her on screen success with leading roles in Twister (1996), Pay It Forward (2000), and The Sessions (2012), the latter earning her an Oscar nomination.
Hunt made her feature film directorial debut with Then She Found Me (2007).
She was married to producer Matthew Carnahan from 2001 to 2017, and they had a daughter, Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan in 2004.
In the last five years, Hunt reprised her iconic role as Jamie Buchman in the Mad About You revival, which aired in 2019 on Spectrum Originals.
She has also directed episodes of popular TV shows, including Blindspotting (2021) and The Politician (2020).
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