Lindsey Shaw as Paige on Pretty Little Liars in 2012.Photo:Ron Tom / © ABC Family / Courtesy: Everett CollectionLindsey Shaw is opening up about how her disordered eating and past drug abuse impacted her career — and specifically led to her losing the part of Paige McCullers on the Freeform hitPretty Little Liars.“I would never have to like, address my relationship with food because I was like, ‘Oh, I could always just go get more Adderall,’” she revealed in the latest episode of PodCo’sNed’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide— which she co-hosts with her formerNed’s DeclassifiedcostarsDevon Werkheiserand Daniel Curtis Lee.Adderall is a commonly prescribed stimulant medication used to treat ADHD that can alsocause weight lossand suppress the appetite.Shaw said that “it was so bad” that she was “basically let go” from the show “because of the weight that I had lost.”“I didn’t look good too skinny and then…when I started to put the weight back on, it couldn’t handle it being too heavy,” Shaw said. “So it kind of like, played into this dumb cycle.”And in season 5, she says, she was let go from the hit.“I got called intoPretty Little Liars’ creator’s [I. Marlene King] office. And she was just like, ‘So we’re gonna let you go,'” she recalled. “She was like, ‘It’s not because of your acting, but do you have anybody to talk to?’ And I was like, ‘No,’ you know?“Shaw tearfully added, “She’s like, ‘Well, find somebody,’ and ‘We have to let you go now.'“Lindsey Shaw is opening up about how her drug use and disordered eating impacted her career.Instagram/ladymshawstersShe said she was grateful toShay Mitchell, who played her onscreen love interest Emily, for her support.“We went to the same nutritionist for a while,” she said of Mitchell, 36. “She was bringing me protein powder. She was like, ‘Girl.’ Yeah, it was awful."“I just gave away everything I cared about,” she says about that time in her life. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gotten back to the point in my career that I was before that talk, or that meeting, or that whole season of using.”But the actress says that now she’s in a better mental place. “You look like what you look like, you know what I mean? There are things that I enjoy so much about my body now that I can’t put words to. Even though like before, it was traditionally a little bit more thin, whatever looks good on camera so that any angle looks good on you.”And as forPretty Little Liars, “It was really sweet, because they brought me back in season 7,” she said. “It was so lovely of that writing team to just see that relationship [between Paige and Emily] and that character out.”Shay Mitchell (Emily) and Lindsey Shaw (Paige) on Pretty Little Liars.Freeform“They did me so right,” she said, specifically mentioningPLLexecutive producer Joseph Dougherty for his help.“For the mental place I’m in now, I’m so much happier,” Shaw said, later adding, “That was a wild time and it brought to me here where I am now. And for better or for worse, whatever happens in the future, like, this is the only life that I can be living. For whatever professional success was in the past, it’s not comparing to the Friday nights I can sit and enjoy a movie on my couch.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Lindsey Shaw as Paige on Pretty Little Liars in 2012.Photo:Ron Tom / © ABC Family / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Ron Tom / © ABC Family / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Lindsey Shaw is opening up about how her disordered eating and past drug abuse impacted her career — and specifically led to her losing the part of Paige McCullers on the Freeform hitPretty Little Liars.“I would never have to like, address my relationship with food because I was like, ‘Oh, I could always just go get more Adderall,’” she revealed in the latest episode of PodCo’sNed’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide— which she co-hosts with her formerNed’s DeclassifiedcostarsDevon Werkheiserand Daniel Curtis Lee.Adderall is a commonly prescribed stimulant medication used to treat ADHD that can alsocause weight lossand suppress the appetite.Shaw said that “it was so bad” that she was “basically let go” from the show “because of the weight that I had lost.”“I didn’t look good too skinny and then…when I started to put the weight back on, it couldn’t handle it being too heavy,” Shaw said. “So it kind of like, played into this dumb cycle.”And in season 5, she says, she was let go from the hit.“I got called intoPretty Little Liars’ creator’s [I. Marlene King] office. And she was just like, ‘So we’re gonna let you go,'” she recalled. “She was like, ‘It’s not because of your acting, but do you have anybody to talk to?’ And I was like, ‘No,’ you know?“Shaw tearfully added, “She’s like, ‘Well, find somebody,’ and ‘We have to let you go now.'“Lindsey Shaw is opening up about how her drug use and disordered eating impacted her career.Instagram/ladymshawstersShe said she was grateful toShay Mitchell, who played her onscreen love interest Emily, for her support.“We went to the same nutritionist for a while,” she said of Mitchell, 36. “She was bringing me protein powder. She was like, ‘Girl.’ Yeah, it was awful."“I just gave away everything I cared about,” she says about that time in her life. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gotten back to the point in my career that I was before that talk, or that meeting, or that whole season of using.”But the actress says that now she’s in a better mental place. “You look like what you look like, you know what I mean? There are things that I enjoy so much about my body now that I can’t put words to. Even though like before, it was traditionally a little bit more thin, whatever looks good on camera so that any angle looks good on you.”And as forPretty Little Liars, “It was really sweet, because they brought me back in season 7,” she said. “It was so lovely of that writing team to just see that relationship [between Paige and Emily] and that character out.”Shay Mitchell (Emily) and Lindsey Shaw (Paige) on Pretty Little Liars.Freeform“They did me so right,” she said, specifically mentioningPLLexecutive producer Joseph Dougherty for his help.“For the mental place I’m in now, I’m so much happier,” Shaw said, later adding, “That was a wild time and it brought to me here where I am now. And for better or for worse, whatever happens in the future, like, this is the only life that I can be living. For whatever professional success was in the past, it’s not comparing to the Friday nights I can sit and enjoy a movie on my couch.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Lindsey Shaw is opening up about how her disordered eating and past drug abuse impacted her career — and specifically led to her losing the part of Paige McCullers on the Freeform hitPretty Little Liars.
“I would never have to like, address my relationship with food because I was like, ‘Oh, I could always just go get more Adderall,’” she revealed in the latest episode of PodCo’sNed’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide— which she co-hosts with her formerNed’s DeclassifiedcostarsDevon Werkheiserand Daniel Curtis Lee.
Adderall is a commonly prescribed stimulant medication used to treat ADHD that can alsocause weight lossand suppress the appetite.
Shaw said that “it was so bad” that she was “basically let go” from the show “because of the weight that I had lost.”
“I didn’t look good too skinny and then…when I started to put the weight back on, it couldn’t handle it being too heavy,” Shaw said. “So it kind of like, played into this dumb cycle.”
And in season 5, she says, she was let go from the hit.
“I got called intoPretty Little Liars’ creator’s [I. Marlene King] office. And she was just like, ‘So we’re gonna let you go,'” she recalled. “She was like, ‘It’s not because of your acting, but do you have anybody to talk to?’ And I was like, ‘No,’ you know?”
Shaw tearfully added, “She’s like, ‘Well, find somebody,’ and ‘We have to let you go now.'”
Lindsey Shaw is opening up about how her drug use and disordered eating impacted her career.Instagram/ladymshawsters
Instagram/ladymshawsters
She said she was grateful toShay Mitchell, who played her onscreen love interest Emily, for her support.
“We went to the same nutritionist for a while,” she said of Mitchell, 36. “She was bringing me protein powder. She was like, ‘Girl.’ Yeah, it was awful.”
“I just gave away everything I cared about,” she says about that time in her life. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gotten back to the point in my career that I was before that talk, or that meeting, or that whole season of using.”
But the actress says that now she’s in a better mental place. “You look like what you look like, you know what I mean? There are things that I enjoy so much about my body now that I can’t put words to. Even though like before, it was traditionally a little bit more thin, whatever looks good on camera so that any angle looks good on you.”
And as forPretty Little Liars, “It was really sweet, because they brought me back in season 7,” she said. “It was so lovely of that writing team to just see that relationship [between Paige and Emily] and that character out.”
Shay Mitchell (Emily) and Lindsey Shaw (Paige) on Pretty Little Liars.Freeform
Freeform
“They did me so right,” she said, specifically mentioningPLLexecutive producer Joseph Dougherty for his help.
“For the mental place I’m in now, I’m so much happier,” Shaw said, later adding, “That was a wild time and it brought to me here where I am now. And for better or for worse, whatever happens in the future, like, this is the only life that I can be living. For whatever professional success was in the past, it’s not comparing to the Friday nights I can sit and enjoy a movie on my couch.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
source: people.com
