Celebrities
Behind the glamour and picture-perfect lifestyle of Sex and the City, Kristin Davis was dealing with body image struggles that the fans never saw. Best known for playing perfectionist Charlotte York, she opened up about the extreme measures she took to maintain her appearance.
Davis recalled a period when she survived almost entirely on candy while trying to lose weight. She shared the experience during a conversation with her former costar Evan Handler, who played her onscreen husband, Harry Goldenblatt.
Kristin Davis reveals she ate only M&Ms for weeks while filming ‘Sex and the City’
During an episode of her Are You a Charlotte? podcast, Davis recalled struggling with her weight during the show’s early seasons. The actress explained that dieting had not been enough to fit into Charlotte’s wardrobe, leading her to go for a difficult eating routine.
“There was a time earlier in the show where you can see my ribs,” Davis admitted. “It was one of those hot summers and I just remember I just ate M&Ms for a couple weeks. I don’t know why I didn’t lose my mind or whatever. And, like, I had no breasts left, like it’s just bones.”
Davis, who was in her early 30s at the time, said she eventually visited an acupuncturist who was shocked by her eating habits. When he warned her against eating the candy, she replied, “Why not? It’s all I eat.”
The actress also explained where she got the idea for the unusual diet. “I had read that ballet dancers smoke cigarettes and eat candy bars. So I was like, ‘Well, if they can do it, I can do it.’ But I wasn’t smoking a cigarette.”
Handler, who joined Sex and the City in its fifth season in 2002, could relate to Davis’ experience with body image. He recalled noticing his own appearance while rewatching the series after losing weight following its conclusion.
The actor also shared that strangers would frequently comment on how different he looked in person. “I used to go out to dinner in New York, and people would actually say to me, ‘You look so much fatter on the show,’” Handler recalled.
Davis said she received similar remarks throughout her six seasons on the show. “Evan, for years and years, this is all they would say to me,” she revealed.
The actress described how uncomfortable those encounters could become, adding, “And you would just be like, ‘Okay, anything else you want to say to get us out of this moment?’ Like, it’s so awkward.”