Photo: Getty Images
Gracie McGraw shared a candid discussion about her health — including body image and eating disorders — on Instagram earlier this week.
Gracie, 29, said in a now-expired Instagram story that she’d tried taking Ozempic for a few years because of her diagnosis with PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome). Cleveland Clinic describes PMOS, formerly known as PCOS, as “a common condition that affects your hormones.”
Gracie said at first, she “thought it was the best decision I ever made because I finally lost weight and got skinny,” according to a report by PEOPLE. However, it turned out to be “one of the worst things I’ve ever done for myself,” because it reignited former struggles with eating disorders and body image. “I’ve been called fat and ugly my entire life, whether that had been from magazines or the internet, constantly saying I must have different genes than my sisters and parents because I was the ‘fat’ one and didn’t have the looks that my family has,” Gracie shared. The singer and actress is the eldest daughter of country artists Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Her sisters are Maggie McGraw, 27, and Audrey McGraw, 24.
Gracie said she “was way too skinny,” when she took Ozempic. “All of a sudden skinny culture is back and I realized holy crap I have been feeding into my eating disorder this whole time under the guise of this miracle shot. I think it was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done for myself, looking back. Because now as everyone is getting smaller and smaller, I am gaining my weight back and seeing how much losing all of that weight actually affected me and my views of myself.”
Gracie assured she is “doing so good now.” She said that although the medication “f***ing” worked to manage her PMOS symptoms, it also “brought back” her eating disorder “and negative views on my body.” She encouraged others to take “care of ourselves and our people. …If you know someone who is struggling or if you are, please never feel embarrassed to reach out to anyone. We are here for each other.”
PEOPLE notes that anyone struggling with an eating disorder, or who knows someone struggling with an eating disorder, may contact The Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235 for a helpline and free support groups led by therapists.