Alison Sweeney embraces ‘normal' life in Arizona while prioritizing health over Hollywood hype
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the former "Days of Our Lives" star, 48, opened up about her decision to leave Los Angeles and explained why she prioritizes health and wellness over the Hollywood hype these days.
"I mean, no [I don't miss Hollywood]," Sweeney, who has recently partnered with Align Probiotics for their latest campaign, told Fox News Digital. "I miss my family. I love my family. I go to visit them all the time, but they're not really in Hollywood or whatever. So, no, I am thrilled with my life. I love how normal it is."
The actress made her acting debut at the age of four when she landed a role in a Kodak commercial. From there, she went on to find major success with various film and TV roles, including the role of Sami on the longtime-running soap opera "Days of Our Lives."
In 2019, the former "Biggest Loser" host told Fox News Digital that being a child actor had taught her "that there's always someone out there who is prettier and skinnier and fancier."
She said she was able to combat that by gradually learning to believe in herself and what she had to offer, and by figuring out how to "find that confidence" within herself. And as other childhood stars were succumbing to the temptations of the limelight, Sweeney said her family was really instrumental in helping her to keep her head on straight.
"I was really lucky. I'm from LA, so it wasn't a big fish-out of-water story, and my parents are super grounded and normal and real and tough and strict," she said. "I was never left out on my own to figure that out. I was always really guided by my brothers and my parents, who were all very loving."
These days, Sweeney is enjoying normalcy, while continuing to prioritize her health and wellness.
"I am a busy mom and I work all the time, and you really don't have a lot of time for your gut health to not be aligned," said Sweeney, who shares two children with husband David Sanov. "And so it was a great partnership [with Align Probiotics] because I care about my health. Everything you're reading right now is people trying to be more healthy, people trying to understand their bodies better. And one of the things I learned at 'The Biggest Loser' is that you are getting signs from your body. Your body is trying to communicate with you. It's trying to help you."
"And if you're listening to those signs, you can make a lot of better choices for yourself," she continued. "Staying active is very important, I'm not going to knock that, but I do think nutrition is number one for your health, and eating well. I'm not really hip to the Hollywood scene, but what I noticed with moms I'm friends with and just other everyday women is just more awareness … that your nutrition can make a difference in how you feel and your health."
Sweeney said that getting "skinny" is not the way to go, but rather striving for "healthy living."
"Skinny is really not the right goal," she said. "Healthy living is the right goal. It is something to look forward to, something to strive towards. It's a marathon, it's not a sprint. And so, it's really important to look at big picture."
And family is a huge part of that bigger picture.
The Hallmark actress, who recently celebrated 25 years of marriage with Sanov, said "the little things" in life are what matter the most.
"Communication is key," she said. "I know that's maybe too cheesy to say, but just staying in contact, talking all the time, checking in on the little things. I used to say that gestures, loving gestures are so important, but it's not romantic. Like, 'Oh, bring me flowers every week.' It's little things like, he charges my phone for me when I can't find it. I make him cappuccino in the morning just to be nice. And then not only doing those things for your partner, but recognizing … and acknowledging them and allowing that to be the sweet care and gesture that it is."
"Don't take it for granted," she added. "Appreciating those little moments are just as valuable."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Wizard of Oz' blown up by AI for giant Sphere screen
The massive Las Vegas venue known as Sphere will be screening its first classic movie, 'The Wizard of Oz,' starting on August 28. And as detailed in a segment on CBS Sunday Morning, this isn't just a matter of taking the existing movie and projecting it on Sphere's 160,000 square foot, wraparound LED screen. Instead, Sphere Entertainment CEO James Dolan said a 2,000-person team is creating a new experience. That includes using AI to both increase the resolution of the existing film and expand the footage beyond the frame of what was actually shot. For example, Turner Classic Movie presenter Ben Mankiewicz said that through the use of AI, 'a grainy close-up of Dorothy becomes richly detailed, and then through a process called outpainting — though it seems like magic — we see the rest of the Scarecrow, the Yellow Brick Road, and the mountains of Oz.' In other cases, expanding the frame means creating new performances from the existing actors. Despite these changes, Dolan said, 'Our standard on this was not to modify the film at all but to try and bring you into the film, as if you were in the studio when it was shot.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fever's Sophie Cunningham represents Arby's in unprecedented outfit before WNBA game
Sophie Cunningham always makes a statement with her pregame outfits for the Indiana Fever. On Sunday, Cunningham went with a bit of a different approach. She shouted out Arby's, the fast food roast beef chain. MORE: Sabrina Ionescu loses her mind at a ref There isn't an official record of this, but this has to be the first Arby's shirt ever worn on the way into a WNBA game, or maybe a professional sports game anywhere, anytime. That's what they call trendsetting. Cunningham has grown her fanbase greatly in her first season with the Fever, thanks to her talent on the court, her enforcer-like tendencies at times, and her popular social media accounts. And now, she's taking a new approach to the pregame 'fit. MORE: Sparks announce latest plans for Cameron Brink injury return
Gizmodo
4 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Cast and Creators Lift the Lid on Their New Series
Thanks to San Diego Comic-Con, we know quite a bit more about Star Trek's next new series, Starfleet Academy. We got a teaser trailer and character details—and the show's cast and creators took to the Hall H stage to share even more hints about what's to come. Though Paul Giamatti—who portrays the show's 'half-Klingon, half-Tellerite' villain, a blend clarified by executive producer and co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman—was not in attendance, Holly Hunter, who plays Academy chancellor Captain Nahla Ake, took the stage along with her 'students,' played by Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, and Bella Shepard. Kurtzman's fellow executive producer and co-showrunner Noga Landau was also on hand. 'It's set in the 32nd century, so it takes place in a time right after the Burn,' Landau explained, referencing a catastrophic event fans of Star Trek: Discovery will know very well. 'It's a time of rebuilding, and it's a time when the generation of Starfleet cadets that you're going to meet here—the world has to be fixed, and a lot of the responsibility [for] that lies on their shoulders. It was a very intentional choice because a lot of the generation who's alive right now, who would be going to Starfleet Academy, if there was a Starfleet Academy, that's a similar thing to what they would be going through.' Added Kurtzman, 'We looked at the generation now that is inheriting all this division and all these major issues, and what we felt was that we wanted to create a show that anchored us back to [Gene] Roddenberry's essential vision of hope. How do you find it? How do you rebuild it? This is the first Academy class back after 120 years of a closed Starfleet. They have a tremendous amount on their shoulders, and their mission is to reinstate the original vision of Star Trek. And it's really exciting to also have all these teachers who are really, really fun. Our rule on the show was that the teachers have to be as interesting and as fun as the cadets.' At the top rung is, of course, Hunter's authority figure. 'It was really interesting to get the offer to be the captain, but then also to combine that with being the chancellor—it was just an interesting dichotomy and challenge because the captain is there to command, to analyze in emergency situations, and then to delegate. And the chancellor is there to guide, to collaborate, and have tremendous empathy,' the Oscar winner said. 'So it was just a wonderful combination of things that it brought out in me, in all of us. I mean, each relationship that I have with each of you [actors playing the students] is so particular and so private. That's the cool thing about the show—[its] massive scale combined with this incredible intimacy that we all have with each other and an intimacy that we all had as a group. So yeah, it was a privilege.' We'll get to know the younger characters better once Starfleet Academy arrives, but two among the cast seem to have particularly intriguing roles. Sandro Rosta's Caleb is described as a 'troubled orphan' in his official character description; he also happens to be human, seemingly one of few humans among Starfleet Academy's core cast. 'Caleb starts off in a different place from the other cadets,' Rosta explained. 'He starts off being disillusioned by Starfleet. He's grown up without an institution or institutional help for 13 years, so he's been surviving on his own. He's been on the run for his entire life; [he's an] outsider [who is] introduced to Starfleet's values of connection, community, working together for a higher purpose to better yourself as a group, not just as an individual—that was what was special about Caleb. […] You're going to be entering Starfleet through the eyes of this outsider, and it was an honor to play that role.' Kerrice Brooks—who became emotional watching the Starfleet Academy teaser for the first time, which immediately endeared her to the entire Hall H audience—co-stars as Sam, 'aka Series Acclimation Mil, the first member of her species, the Kasqians, to sign up for Starfleet,' according to the official description. 'I'm a hologram,' is how Brooks described Sam. 'Sam is programmed to feel a certain age, but she was literally only created like weeks ago. So she's like a newborn; everything is so fresh to her.' Kurtzman stepped in at the end to offer a few parting insights to the crowd. 'I'm sure there's been some questions about the trailer,' he said, '[including] why is there a ship that's landing in San Francisco? And the answer is, the school is a ship, and it's part of the campus in San Francisco. So they go to class in San Francisco, in the ship. And because resources are lighter in the 32nd century, think of it like a teaching hospital: the ship gets deployed with the fleet in a real-life situation so they can learn in the field.' 'So this is not just theoretical classrooms. You're going to see Star Trek episodes where we meet new species, episodes that are about diplomacy. You'll see episodes where these cadets, who are not yet captains, are learning who they are and how they fit into Starfleet. They can make mistakes in ways that if you're already a captain or if you are already in Starfleet, you really can't. So these characters get to do unique things in that way.' Star Trek: Starfleet Academy hits Paramount+ in early 2026. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
