Fans Are So Touched by ‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan’s Comments in Raw New Interview

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• Sam Heughan opened up about his experience with a “low-level” eating disorder in a new interview.

• The experience is also detailed in the 42-year-old’s new memoir, Waypoints: My Scottish Journey.

• He wants to shed light on the topic because he feels as though it’s taboo to discuss as a man.

The trials Sam Heughan faces aren’t necessarily the militant battles fought by his Outlander character, Jamie Fraser, but the actor has certainly been up against his own demons. In a new interview with Today, he spoke on how his book, Waypoints: My Scottish Journey, details his experience with a “low-level” eating disorder—and how he hopes to raise awareness around body image expectations placed on men in Hollywood.

“I think, you know, as a young actor, quite green, not really much experience, there were a lot of pressures starting off in the industry that I didn’t really understand,” the 42-year-old explained. “I think there was a certain body type that we were expected to have.”

He continued, adding that the topic seems taboo to discuss as a man, which he hopes will change.

“I think women talk about it a lot. A lot of actresses have talked about the pressures they face, but I don’t think men do, and so I wanted to mention it [in the book],” he said.

Today host Sheinelle Jones thanked him for sharing so openly. And many viewers had a similar reaction.

“I’m glad Sam opened up about his eating disorder many people don’t realize that men also suffer from it,” one person commented on YouTube. “I appreciate the fact that you shed light on men feeling the pressure just as much as women do to look a certain way in your industry,” another tweeted. “It is something that isn’t talked about much.”

“Kudos to your openness,” another added.

Heughan was able to turn his negative experience into a positive one by channeling it into the start of his fitness charity, My Peak Challenge, which inspires others to live a healthy lifestyle, and has raised money for a range of causes from hunger relief to cancer research. At its core, the organization’s mission is to provide access to information so other people, hopefully, “don’t face the same pressures,” he told Today.

In addition to reflecting on Hughan’s past, Waypoints chronicles his 96-mile solo trek through Scotland’s West Highland Way, which tested his strength and resilience. “I struggled. I almost gave up,” he told WBUR public radio’s Here & Now in October. “I found myself lost on the side of Loch Lomond in the dark. And it wasn’t until I really sort of slowed down and enjoyed the journey that I began to appreciate the trail itself.”

If you believe you are struggling with an eating disorder and need support, call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at (800) 931-2237. You can text HOME to 741741 to message a trained crisis counselor from the Crisis Text Line for free.

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