Tara Reid, 47, might have said goodbye to Special Forces for now, but she’s open to preparing better for a future season! Following the American Pie star’s exit from the reality TV competition, she sat down with Extra on October 26 and revealed why she simply “had to” leave the show. “No, they hired me three days before the show… So, I was not physically ready for it,” she explained. “The backpack was so heavy on me. I had no chance… It didn’t work so well.”
The 47-year-old went on to explain that there was another competitor who was by far greater in size than she was. “They had a 350-pound football player and then you have little me wearing the same size backpack,” Tara explained. Despite this, she explained that she would be interested in returning to the series if she could prepare sooner. “I would do it again if I could start training right now!” the blonde beauty quipped.
Earlier in the interview, Tara explained what experience she gained from appearing on Special Forces. “I wanted to go on the show because I wanted to challenge myself to try to do something that I never thought I could do,” she said. Tara went on to add that it was an “emotional” experience. “It is not just a physical thing… It takes out a lot of the darkness that you’ve been fighting… I got a lot of that out,” she shared.
Furthermore, the starlet opened up about the bullying she’s experienced from her life in the spotlight. “I would definitely say I’ve been through a lot of bullying in my life,” Tara continued. “It’s usually about my body… that I’m too skinny.” When the reporter asked her if the comments were about her appearing to be “too skinny” she was quick to shut down the speculation. “It’s been going on for years, but there’s no eating disorder… I eat all the time — that’s not a problem for me,” Tara affirmed.
Tara then attributed her appearance to aging when the reporter told her that he thinks that she does appear “too skinny” to him. “Maybe because I’m getting a little older and fragile. That’s what happens to older ladies,” she chuckled. Just one day prior, Tara shut down eating disorder rumors during an interview with Los Angeles Inquisitor magazine. “I have no anorexia and never have,” she said to the mag. “And I definitely don’t have any bulimia. I’m terrified of throwing up, so that’s not gonna happen. And I love food too much.”
She doubled-down and slammed those who continue to ask her about the rumors. “So anyone that says I’m anorexic or bulimic, they’re wrong,” Tara said. “So stop it. Leave me alone. Pick on me again on something else, but not on those two things. It’s not right.” She was one of the first to exit Special Forces and competed alongside Tom Sandoval, Brian Austin Green, Blac Chyna, and Jamie Lynn Spears.
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) website or call their hotline at (888)-375-7767 to get help.