Gwyneth Paltrow: Her body double almost starved to death after filming

In 2001, Ivy Schnitzer (42) stood in front of the camera as a body double for the US actress Gwyneth Paltrow (50) for the film “Heavy Love”. What began as an exciting project for the young woman ended in an eating disorder. There were complications after gastric band surgery – Ivy Schnitzer almost starved to death.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s body double sent diet pills after filming

The film “Heavy in Love” is about a man who perceives women differently: instead of their actual appearance, women suddenly have model dimensions for him and are perfectly styled. This reflects women’s “beauty within” – in the comedy, “Hal,” played by Jack Black, 53, falls in love with the multi-weight Rosemary, whom he sees through his eyes as willowy and beautiful. The real appearance of Rosemary is represented by the body of Ivy Schnitzer in the film – especially in close-ups, the then 20-year-old jumped in as a body double.

Ivy Schnitzer reports in an interview with “The Guardians“that she perceived the time on the set as very positive. But this changed after the premiere of the film. Ivy Schnitzer did not feel comfortable with the newly won attention, she reports. In addition, she was approached by strangers on the street, who accused her of glossing over obesity by receiving diet pills in the mail.

Ivy Schnitzer on lean madness: “I hated my body”

From there, Schnitzer’s downward spiral began: “I thought maybe fame isn’t for me, maybe I don’t want to be an actress. Maybe I’ll do something else.” She also admits, “I hated my body.”

The young woman then slipped into an eating disorder: “I wanted to starve myself to death.” She was even proud of her eating disorder, she reports. In 2003, Ivy then underwent stomach reduction surgery. But the slippage of her gastric band led to serious complications. “I suffered a torsion (stomach twist) – like dogs get it and then die,” the 42-year-old recalls the difficult time.

Ivy Schnitzer almost starved to death: “I was so skinny you could see my teeth through my face”

The consequence of the complication was that Schnitzer could hardly keep food down. She fed almost exclusively on diluted nutrient shakes. “I was so thin that you could see my teeth through my face,” she recalls of the tragic time. A life-threatening condition – ultimately she had to be artificially fed before the gastric band could be removed. She is still suffering from the after-effects of the surgery to this day – she can only eat “oddly small portions,” she says.