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How Ashnoor Kaur Starved Herself For The Camera.
The glitzy world of Indian television often masks a darker reality of grueling shifts and impossible beauty standards, a truth that Bigg Boss 19 star Ashnoor Kaur recently brought to light in a series of heartbreaking revelations. Growing up in the spotlight since the age of four, Ashnoor’s journey from the brave child Prachi in Jhansi Ki Rani to a household name in Patiala Babes wasn’t just built on talent, but on extreme physical sacrifice. On the All About Her podcast with Soha Ali Khan and during her emotional stint in the Bigg Boss house, Ashnoor peeled back the curtain on the “starvation cycles” that led her to collapse on film sets, exposing a toxic industry culture that demands perfection at the cost of life itself.
30-Hour Shifts at Age Six: The Exploitation Of Child Stars
Long before she was battling body-shaming on national television, Ashnoor was a six-year-old child working shifts that would break most adults. She vividly recalls shooting for 30 hours straight for the show Shobha Somnath Ki, so exhausted that she physically could not function. At an age when most children are mastering the alphabet, Ashnoor was being told to take “quick naps” in a vanity van while production crews waited outside like debt collectors, ready to pull her back onto the set the moment she opened her eyes. This normalized culture of overwork laid the foundation for a career where her own needs were always secondary to the “schedule,” a pattern that eventually morphed from physical exhaustion into a dangerous obsession with her weight.
The Secret Starvation: Living On Water and Falling On Set
As Ashnoor transitioned into her teenage years, the pressure shifted from the clock to the mirror. The industry’s unforgiving lens, which often adds “10 to 15 kilograms” to a person’s appearance, triggered a deep-seated insecurity. Ashnoor confessed to becoming “brutal” toward her own body, resorting to harsh, water-only diets that lasted for days. In a desperate attempt to look leaner for a role, she would secretly starve herself, leading to the terrifying moment she fainted on set. Even more chilling was her decision to keep it a secret; she didn’t tell a soul she wasn’t eating, fearing she would be judged or seen as unprofessional. She stopped wearing sleeveless clothes and isolated herself from friends, trapped in a cycle of shame where she couldn’t stand the reflection she saw in the mirror.
The Hormonal Trap: When Stress Becomes Physical Weight
During a particularly emotional Weekend Ka Vaar on Bigg Boss 19, Ashnoor reached a breaking point after being body-shamed by fellow contestants Tanya Mittal, Neelam Giri, and Kunickaa Sadanand, who used derogatory terms like “elephant” and “haathi.” Breaking down in front of host Salman Khan, she revealed that she has struggled with hormonal imbalances since the age of 14. For Ashnoor, weight management isn’t about “trying harder” or “eating less”—it is a biological response to trauma. She explained that her body “bloats” and “swells up” in stressful environments, a defense mechanism where the body stores fat to feel safe. Despite losing nine kilograms before entering the show through intense discipline, the toxic atmosphere of the Bigg Boss house caused her weight to surge again. “In a stressful environment, some people lose weight, and I gain it,” she shared, a sentiment echoed by Salman Khan himself, who admitted to the same struggle.
Beyond the Starvation: Ashnoor’s Strategic Recovery and “No Junk” Rule
Her recovery journey isn’t just about eating again; it is about a radical shift in how she fuels her body and mind. Ashnoor revealed that she has not touched junk food since she was 14 years old, a testament to her incredible willpower even while battling internal imbalances. Her post-Bigg Boss recovery plan is deeply scientific, moving away from “punishment” and toward “protection.” She has embraced a holistic approach that includes regular blood work to monitor her hormonal markers, as she discovered that her weight was stagnant not because of her diet, but because of her internal chemistry. Ashnoor now swears by a specific morning drink to relieve bloating and treat stress-related acne, and she has integrated meditation as a non-negotiable part of her routine to signal “safety” to her nervous system. By shifting from high-intensity “trauma” workouts to consistent, sustainable movement, she is finally allowing her body to shed weight naturally rather than forcing it through starvation.
Reclaiming The Self: The 3-Year Break and The Road to Healing
Realizing that her identity was being swallowed by the “child actor” image and her own insecurities, Ashnoor made the bold decision to take a three-year hiatus from the industry. She used this time to pursue a Bachelor’s in Mass Media (BMM), completing 70 projects and 37 subjects while finally experiencing the “normal” life she had missed since age four. This period was transformative; it allowed her to disconnect from the “noise” and understand that her value wasn’t tied to a scale. Today, Ashnoor is much more than a TV star—she is a survivor of the industry’s harshest expectations. She now enforces a strict 12-hour work limit, blocks toxic trolls who peddle body-shaming, and advocates for a lifestyle where beauty is never linked to a specific body measurement.
The Survival Guide: How To Nurture Your Body Through Stress
Ashnoor’s story concludes with a vital lesson on hormonal health and self-acceptance. Experts like nutritionist Kavita Devgan emphasize that stress triggers cortisol, which signals the body to conserve energy and store fat, meaning that “starving” actually makes weight management harder. To follow in Ashnoor’s footsteps of recovery, one must prioritize “de-stressing” through meditation or hobbies, ensuring adequate sleep to regulate hunger hormones like ghrelin, and understanding that weight fluctuations are often a sign that your body is asking for kindness, not punishment. Ashnoor’s transparency serves as a powerful reminder that while the camera may be watching, your body is the only home you truly have to live in. True confidence, as she now teaches, comes from rebuildling the relationship with yourself from the inside out, canceling out the toxicity and finally letting your body feel safe enough to heal.