Hilary Duff details how ‘career path’ led to ‘horrifying’ eating disorder at 17

Hilary Duff opened up about her struggles as a child star and the ‘horrifying’ eating disorder that she had to deal with.

The Disney Channel alum, 35, recently spoke to Women's Health Australia about how she overcame her body dysmorphia that she struggled at 17 years old , via People.

“Because of my career path, I can't help but be like, ‘I am on camera and actresses are skinny.' It was horrifying,” she recounted.

The Lizzie McGuire star shared that over the years she has learned to appreciate her body and maintain a healthy relationship with it.

“[I'm] appreciating my health, doing activities that make me feel strong instead of just bettering the outside of my body," Duff added. "Spending time with people that make me feel good and share similar views on health and body positivity and getting enough sleep and balance in my diet.”

Duff’s personal trainer Dominic Leeder explained that although she's dedicated to her health and fitness, they aren't Duff's top priority.

“I don't feel like she'll mind me saying this: yes, her fitness and health are hugely important to Hilary,” he told the magazine. “What's more important to her is her family and work. When she comes home from work, she wants to spend time with her family because she spends very little time with them when she's hard at work, so every moment counts.”

Leeder explained, his approach to training the Younger alum is all about sustainability. “When I met Hilary, we decided to focus on resistance training, because we wanted to build lean muscle mass and up her metabolism," he revealed. "Her diet was also a huge factor and I wanted to make sure that she was eating the correct amount of macros for the goal that she needed.”

Duff currently stars in How I Met Your Mother spinoff series, How I Met Your Father.