Janet Jackson told to diet at 11

Janet Jackson was told to go on a diet – at just 11-years-old.

The singer, now 44, has had issues with her weight since she starred in Good Times when she was “very little”.

“It’s been a tough road, a tough battle since I was very little and not feeling worthy,” she said. “There were self-esteem issues, issues dealing with food stemming from when I was very, very young. Not feeling I was good enough as I was.”

“I was told at a very young age on the show Good Times that I needed to go on a diet. I was only, what, 11, 12? And I look back on those shows and I wasn’t a heavy kid. Some people can just brush it right off but others, they really internalize it. And that was me.”

“I’m not in denial in any way,” Janet added. “I’ve never had someone say to me you’re addicted to food and maybe that’s what it is for me. I’ve never had anyone say that to me, but the way that I feel about it. It still is an issue for me.

“I was an emotional eater. I still am. I’ve learned how to handle certain issues and not to run to that for comfort. It’s just not about, ‘OK, how do you stop the eating?’ It’s deeper than that. There are issues behind that. You have to figure out what’s creating it first in order to figure out how to stop it.”