Alexa Bliss Talks COVID-19 Pandemic, Mental Health, More
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
WWE Superstar and current champion Alexa Bliss recently sat down with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated for an interview covering a variety of topics. Check out the highlights below and get a link to the full interview at the bottom of the article.
On how she felt about WrestleMania this year:
I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities at WrestleMania, including hosting last year. This year I didn’t lose a title, I gained one. I’m looking forward to WrestleMania with all our fans, but opening the show with Nikki was a lot of fun.
On dealing with her body image and eating disorder:
When I went to the hospital, I almost went into cardiac arrest. Dealing with eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, I’m no stranger to mental illness. Every few years, I deal with a really bad spell of depression. You have to know it doesn’t have to overtake your life. Mental illness can dictate someone’s entire life. I put myself in a position to be in the public eye, but I’m doing what I love. I’ve gone to therapy, I’ve done everything I can do to get my brain in a healthy place. There are some things I still do—I still wear my t-shirt when I wrestle. An eating disorder is something that never leaves you, so having that support system is so important. Up until two years ago, I was terrified of being near gummy bears. There was a night when I was backstage at a show, and there were gummy bears there. I was telling Tyler Breeze how that’s a trigger food for me, and as the weeks went on, he helped me eat gummy bears again. That was a minute little moment, but it was a big deal to me.
On her family contributing to her continued success:
My parents have been supportive of anything and everything I’ve wanted to do since day one. I wanted to be a gymnast, so they found me gymnastics classes. My dad coached my softball team. I wanted to cheer, and they supported me there, too. They’ve always been there for me. When I signed with WWE, I wanted to give back to them. I bought them a house down the street from me in Florida. They watch all my matches, they were there for the title wins. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
On performing during the COVID-19 pandemic:
If we can help people escape reality for a couple minutes, then it’s worth it. WWE is taking all the precautions to make sure everyone at our shows is safe. For me, it’s also nice that I can spend time at home with my family and my animals. That’s my positive way of looking at it. Each year, my character changes a little bit here and there, and hopefully that’s as entertaining for people as I try to make it.
You can read the entire interview here. Let us know in the comments below what you think.