Rebel Wilson recently opened up about her intense fear of insects, rooted in traumatic experiences from her upbringing in Australia and a harrowing encounter with malaria during her youth.
“I have always had bugs-xiety … [since] growing up in Australia, where we have a lot of bugs,” Wilson, 44, revealed in a candid interview with Us Weekly.
Wilson recounted a pivotal moment in her life when she contracted malaria at the age of 18 while in Africa, describing waking up to find herself covered in mosquito bites.
“I was in hospital for two weeks,” the actress and author of the memoir “Rebel Rising” disclosed. “I could have died from it, it was very, very bad.”
Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted through mosquito bites, can lead to severe symptoms if not promptly treated, including flu-like manifestations and potentially life-threatening complications such as kidney failure and coma, according to the CDC.
Aside from mosquitos, Wilson expressed disdain for other insects, recounting her discomfort with gnats buzzing around her mother’s fruit bowl during her childhood.
“I don’t want any little bugs crawling around at home, especially after having a baby,” she remarked, alluding to her 19-month-old daughter, Royce Lillian, whom she shares with fiancée Ramona Agruma.
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Wilson also shared insights into her recent weight-loss journey, spurred by her desire to improve her health for fertility reasons.
“I had this consultation with a fertility doctor. He was like, ‘Well, you’d have a much better chance of having a child if you were healthy,’” Wilson disclosed to Us Weekly. “It kind of really hit a nerve, that [it] could prevent me from having a child.”
She reflected on the emotional toll of her journey towards motherhood and her ongoing personal growth.
“I am just so proud of my life and all the things that I’ve gone through…I’m just at a point now where I can be really open,” Wilson shared. “It’s kind of cathartic in a way to just put it all out there.”
Wilson disclosed in a recent exclusive interview with Us Weekly that her weight loss journey wasn’t about quick fixes or intense regimens, but rather addressing the emotional aspects she had previously neglected.
“There’s no magic fix. I’d been on diets [and] I’ve been really good [about] exercising pretty much my entire life,” Wilson explained while discussing her partnership with Zevo. “For me, it was the emotional element that I’d never looked at. I’d kind of been, like, ‘Emotions … Ugh, I don’t want to talk about things.'”
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She emphasized the importance of self-worth and balance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “It’s good to value yourself and be healthy, [but] you don’t have to be obsessive.”
Wilson embarked on her weight loss journey in 2020 with a specific goal in mind—to improve her chances of successful in vitro fertilization. A pivotal moment came during a consultation with a fertility specialist, which served as the catalyst for her holistic wellness transformation.