Just three years ago, newly crowned Miss America Kirsten Haglund was eating tiny portions of food and became so thin her concerned parents "dragged me to the doctor."
Haglund was diagnosed with anorexia, and the lack of nutrition caused her collar bones to stick out, her heart rate to drop and her relationships to suffer.
"I would feel fatigued walking up six stairs," the 19-year-old Haglund said Sunday, a day after being crowned Miss America 2008. "I was a completely different person. It's not a pretty sight."
Haglund plans to spend her yearlong reign, trying to raise awareness of eating disorders, promoting the pageant and helping the Children's Miracle Network while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and exercise.
To win her crown, the Farmington Hills, Mich., native sang "Over the Rainbow" and walked a crowd-pleasing strut in a black and gold bikini to clinch the title.
"You have to have curves," she said proudly. "You can't look like a stick-thin model."
The aspiring Broadway star even ate the silver medallion chocolates left on her pillow in her suite at the host site, the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
"Yes, oh my gosh, yes," she said. "I love chocolate. Chocolates are a girl's best friend."
The 5-foot 8-inch blond said she doesn't disclose her weight to avoid setting standards for youths obsessed with getting lighter.
She said she stopped pursuing her dream to become a professional ballerina to escape an environment in which she was rewarded for being slim and an industry that Haglund said sweeps concerns about eating disorders under the rug.
The National Eating Disorders Association estimates eating disorders affect 10 million girls and women and about 1 million boys and men in the United States.
Haglund's job begins right away, and on Sunday she caught a plane to New York for a Monday interview on "Live With Regis and Kelly."
While the teen said she wasn't about to "let myself go," she didn't plan to skip any meals over her crowning year.
"I'm going to enjoy my food," she said.[source]
Kirsten Haglund winner of Miss America 2008 at Las Vegas
Sylvester Stallone says he used human growth hormone to get buff for the new "Rambo" movie, and defends its use.
Sylvester Stallone directed and co-wrote the new "Rambo" movie.
"HGH (human growth hormone) is nothing," the 61-year-old actor tells Time magazine in its February 4 issue.
"Anyone who calls it a steroid is grossly misinformed."
Because it is nearly undetectable, HGH has become a substance of great concern in major league baseball and other sports battling allegations of rampant doping.
"Testosterone to me is so important for a sense of well-being when you get older," Stallone says.
"Everyone over 40 years old would be wise to investigate it because it increases the quality of your life. Mark my words. In 10 years it will be over the counter."
Stallone directed and co-wrote the new "Rambo" movie, which arrived in theaters Friday.
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Barbara Walters received a call from Britney Spears's manager and "very good friend" Sam Lutfi, the TV host told her cohorts on Monday's The View – reporting that Lutfi said the pop star was seeking help for what Walters termed "mental issues which are treatable."
"She has been to a psychiatrist," Walters, 78, said, recounting Lutfi's explanation over the phone. "She, I assume, is starting some kind of treatment."
Walters also reported that Spears was having trouble sleeping and was suffering from "mood swings," but that she was back in touch with her mother, Lynne Spears.
When those at the table challenged the veracity of Lutfi's report, Walters's response was, "I don't know if anybody is telling the truth or not telling the truth." But she noted, "He has been with her constantly. He seems to be enormously supportive."
Chiming in with her analysis was Whoopi Goldberg, who said, "I think this girl has worked and worked and worked – and she is burnt out."
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" Pete Doherty has started making plans to open an animal sanctuary near his Wiltshire home, say reports. According to the Daily Star, the Babyshambles singer is a passionate animal lover and wants to use his money to create a sanctuary for rescued and injured pets. The rocker was reportedly inspired after he rescued a three-legged hedgehog from the road-side, which he has named Mrs Tiggy-Winkle. "Pete rescued the hedgehog. It had a leg missing and he felt sorry for it," a source told the Daily Star. "He made sure it got the proper help it needed from a vet and set up a special section for it in his garden. Pete has a big heart. He also loves rats and is looking after one with no tail. "He has lots of kittens, too, and hopes that by the end of the year he will be able to open his pet rescue centre at Marlborough to local schools so they can educate children about animals." "
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t looks like Ryan Phillippe isn’t the only one annoyed by Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal’s increasingly serious relationship: his ex-girlfriend Kirsten Dunst and his mum Naomi Foner are both less than delighted about the coupling.
Kirsten and Jake dated for around two years after his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal introduced them in 2002, then had a further year of on-off dating until finally splitting in December 2005.
A friend of Kirsten’s told Star magazine that the Spider-Man star had always hoped she and Jake would reconcile and start a family together when their professional lives calmed down: “[So] hearing that [GyllenSpoon] are close to getting engaged is like a knife to her heart.”
“Seeing photos of him out with her kids is just too much [for Kirsten] to handle. She always thought she and Jake would reunite, but now those dreams have faded.”
Jake and Maggie’s mum Naomi is also far from delighted about the union. A source close to the family told the magazine: “Naomi is concerned Jake’s taking on more than he can handle dating Reese, even playing the role of daddy to 8-year-old Ava and 4-year-old Deacon when he’s with them.”
“[Naomi hoped] Jake would find a younger girl to date, without so much baggage.”
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Cheryl Cole isn't the only Girl Aloud to be having relationship problems.
Nadine Coyle and Desperate Housewives star Jesse Metcalfe have split, according to sources.
Jesse jetted to London on Friday and has been hitting the London party scene hard, with one noticeable absence - Nadine.
The pair went their separate ways after trying unsuccessfully to make their rocky relationship work.
A souce says: "Nadine decided to breakup with Jesse. She's saying it's just a break but we all know it's not. They've had a very unstable relationship of late and she tried everything to make it work.
"But they want different things in life at the moment and that was the final nail in the coffin.
"She flew to LA recently and spent the entire trip with her family and gal pals. She even discussed a big girly trip to Vegas - without Jesse. She's never really done that before, he used to always be part of her plans. She's well and truly getting on with her life as a single girl."
Jesse was at the new celeb hangout No 50 Dover Street in London until the early hours of Saturday morning and, judging by the gaggle of girls swarming around him, it didn't look like he was missing Nadine.
The singer and Jesse first started going out two years ago but - in a spooky parallel to fellow Girl Aloud Cheryl's current situation - the couple split up last year over claims Jesse cheated on Nadine.
She took him back in September and Nad and her family moved to LA so she could spend more time with him.
The actor was meant to host a Desperate Housewives night in Essex club Faces last night, but he pulled out at the last minute.
A club worker said: "He cancelled, but we've got no idea why. Luckily Kelly Rowland was able to step in."
The former Destiny's Child singer Kelly sang her new single Work before retreating to the VIP area.
A fellow clubber said: "She looked like she was having a good time, dancing and chatting with a few friends, but I didn't see her drinking at all."
Anthony Costa from Blue was seen flirting with some girls outside while Chantelle Houghton drank and danced with girl pals.
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Cheryl Cole is reportedly reconsidering her stand-by-her-man decision after husband Ashley Cole was accused of trying to pay-off his other woman to have an abortion.
Aimee Walton claims she thought she was pregnant after her one night stand with the Chelsea and England star because they’d had unsafe sex.
She told the Sun that she called Ashley to tell him about her fears and he replied: “F****** hell! I’m shaking. I’m sorry. S**t!”
He then arranged for a friend of his to meet Aimee at a London pub and the representative told her: “We would do whatever you want. Obviously he’s not gonna leave his wife, he’s not gonna get involved.”
“If you wanted to terminate the pregnancy and then go on holiday with your [young son], then you know that’s fine. We would take care of that.”
“If you wanna keep the baby then we’ll give you something towards it. [But] I’ll be dead straight with you: the best thing for Ashley is to terminate the baby, right.”
“We’ll get private, done properly. Financially we’ll take of all that.”
“I’ll tell you the facts, all right? Trust me, because I know my people. We’ll only support you financially. And that’s why I think, if you terminate, it would be best. I’m being honest. I’m being very cold and methodical, but that’s my job.”
In the end, it turned out that Aimee wasn’t pregnant but Aimee stands by her decision to expose Ashley publicly, even though the Girls Aloud star has now accused Aimee of lying about the sex taking place: “I regret what happened, but what Cheryl has said is infuriating and, frankly, ridiculous.”
“There are things he did to me that you simply would not forget. At one point his mates burst into the room and had a conversation with him while we were having sex. If Ashley can’t remember our encounter, maybe Cheryl can ask them about it.”
“I’m sorry Cheryl has been hurt, but trying to shift the blame from her husband to me is not rational. Ashley slept with me, then tried to cover it up. They tried to shut me up with money. They lie and cheat.”
“Cheryl needs to bear that in mind when Ashley is telling her it never happened.”
Over the weekend Cheryl told the News of the World that she intended to stay with Ashley but a source close to her family has now told the Mirror that the new revelations are making her think twice about the man she married: “Make no mistake, Cheryl hasn’t forgiven him yet. Ashley is certainly not home and dry. There’ve been an awful lot of tears and recriminations and he’s got a lot of work to do.”
“Cheryl is incredibly hurt by what has happened. She needs time to let the awful events of the last few days sink in and to decide what’s the best way forward. But she recognizes they need some time together to work things through, which gives Ashley hope.”
“Cheryl takes her marriage vows very seriously and has strong views on infidelity. However, she’s a very strong woman and if she makes up her mind their marriage is over, it’s over.”
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