Delta Burke Reflects on the Uncomfortable Conversations About Her Body During 'Designing Women' Era
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Delta Burke was a TV superstar during her years as Suzanne Sugarbaker on Designing Women, but she had a tumultuous time with the press, who felt that it was OK to comment on her body. Her five seasons were fraught with tabloid headlines and unnecessary commentary about her dress size — it was cruel.
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On the April 19 episode of the Glamorous Trash podcast, the 67-year-old actress revealed that she was “emotionally too fragile” to deal with the “incredibly ugly” stories about her weight. She claimed a fan even “jerked” open her jacket and asked, “Let’s see, how fat are ya?” It’s heartbreaking to hear what Burke went through during her five seasons on the show — and it eventually led to her exit in 1991.
“I thought I was stronger. I tried very hard to defend myself against lies and all the ugliness that was there and I wasn’t gonna win. I’m just an actress, you know. I don’t have any power,” the Delta Style: Eve Wasn’t a Size 6 and Neither Am I author shared. “I remember on the set when it got to be really bad, and I wasn’t handling it well with a smiling face, my whole body language changed. I would kind of hunch over… I just tried to disappear.” Burke explained that “Hollywood will mess your head up,” and even though she wanted to “be a famous and well-respected actress,” the scrutiny was too much.
“The moment I became famous, it was like, ‘Oh no, no, no. This is not what I had in mind at all. I don’t think I want to be this anymore,'” she added. “But then it’s too late.” The pressure to remain a certain size took its toll and she resorted to taking illegal pills called “Black Beauties” to maintain her weight. Once she built up a tolerance to the substance, Burke turned toward crystal meth. “Nobody knew about crystal meth at the time,” she noted while sharing that she avoided the recommended advice to “snort” it. She drank it in her cranberry juice each morning and then she “wouldn’t eat for five days.”
As shocking as that may sound, Hollywood still wasn’t satisfied when she dropped weight. She noted, “And they were still saying, ‘Your butt’s too big. Your legs are too big.’ And I now look back at those pictures and go, ‘I was a freaking goddess.’ ” Burke was, and still is, a total queen, and her story, even decades later, needs to be heard because her tragic tale still resonates today — and that’s the saddest part of all.
Before you go, click here for more celebrities who’ve spoken out about being body-shamed.
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