Former Victoria's Secret supermodel Karolina Kurkova is a shadow of her former self, thanks to thyroid treatment.
The leggy 5'11" Czech supermodel says she unexpectedly gained 30 pounds in 2008 due to an underactive thyroid, a condition that can result in fatigue, depression and weight gain.
'Too Fat to Walk the Runway'
“I was 24 and going through menopause—that was one of my side effects," Kurkova, now 27, told New York magazine. "I thought I was going crazy.
"I was having panic attacks every minute and I didn’t know what was happening, because I’ve been a healthy person. I’ve exercised all my life. I’ve always eaten well and taken care of myself.”
In June 2008, Kurkova made headlines when fashion critics slammed her for looking uncharacteristically chubby with "cellulite on her butt" while walking the runway during Sao Paulo Fashion Week.
Karolina, who had been a stick-thin Victoria's Secret supermodel until then, was viciously slammed by fashion critics as being "too fat to walk the runway." Kurkova, who recently underwent an undisclosed surgery, says getting treated for hypothyroidism helped her lose the excess weight.
Eating Disorders Rampant in Modeling
The fashion industry has been under fire recently for glorifying what some say is an unhealthy body image, often resulting in models starving themselves to make it in the super-competitive modeling business.
In November 2010, French model Isabelle Caro died at age 28 from complications related to starvation. The 5'4" Caro, who had struggled with anorexia since age 12, weighed just 56 pounds at death.
In 2006, Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston made headlines when she died at 21 of anorexia on the eve of a Paris photoshoot after subsisting on a diet of apples and tomatoes for several months. At 5'8" tall, she weighed just 88 pounds.
The following year, Uruguayan fashion model Eliana Ramos died at age 18 of a heart attack believed to be related to malnutrition. The shocking deaths prompted a public outcry and heavy criticism of the fashion industry for promoting what some call unattainable standards of beauty.
Despite all the lip service, the models walking the runways at the 2012 New York Fashion Week are thinner than ever.
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