Alexa Bliss On Wrestling With a T-Shirt On to Deal With Eating Disorder, Performing During Pandemic

Alexa Bliss spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new interview discussing her history with eating disorders, WWE running during the COVID-19 pandemic and more.

On her WrestleMania history: “I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities at WrestleMania, including hosting last year. I walked in as champ at my first two WrestleManias, but I had a streak of losing my title at WrestleMania. This year I didn’t lose a title, I gained one. I’m looking forward to WrestleMania with all our fans, but opening the show with Nikki was a lot of fun.”

On dealing with her eating disorder: “I take it day-by-day. Dealing with eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, I’m no stranger to mental illness. Every few years, I deal with a really bad spell of depression. You have to know it doesn’t have to overtake your life. Mental illness can dictate someone’s entire life. I put myself in a position to be in the public eye, but I’m doing what I love. I’ve gone to therapy, I’ve done everything I can do to get my brain in a healthy place.”

On her parents’ support: “My parents have been supportive of anything and everything I’ve wanted to do since day one. I wanted to be a gymnast, so they found me gymnastics classes. My dad coached my softball team. I wanted to cheer, and they supported me there, too. They’ve always been there for me. When I signed with WWE, I wanted to give back to them. I bought them a house down the street from me in Florida. They watch all my matches, they were there for the title wins. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

On how she handles her disorder: “There are some things I still do—I still wear my t-shirt when I wrestle. One, it’s to promote merch because I think it’s cute, and two, because I’m always going to be that self-conscious person. But I don’t let it dictate my life like I used to. An eating disorder is something that never leaves you, so having that support system is so important. Up until two years ago, I was terrified of being near gummy bears. There was a night when I was backstage at a show, and there were gummy bears there. I was telling Tyler Breeze how that’s a trigger food for me, and as the weeks went on, he helped me eat gummy bears again. That was a minute little moment, but it was a big deal to me. I need that, and that’s what I tried to do on Fight Like A Girl for Holly. I just reached out to her a week ago, and she’s still doing well.”

On continuing to perform during the pandemic: “If we can help people escape reality for a couple minutes, then it’s worth it. It’s a very unfortunate situation going on right now in the world, so I’m trying to stay positive. WWE is taking all the precautions to make sure everyone at our shows is safe. For me, it’s also nice that I can spend time at home with my family and my animals. That’s my positive way of looking at it.”