After roles on hit scripted series such as The Ms. Pat Show, Tami Roman is making a short trip back to reality television for The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles.
Subscribe to Opening Act
During the show’s press run, she has been openly talking about her health.
In an interview on the daytime show The Real, the actress and reality star set the record straight regarding her health with co-hosts Loni Love, Jeannie Mai, Adrienne Bailon and Garcelle Beauvais.
In the interview, Roman revealed she was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder.
“Yes, I’ve been diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, OK. That is a mental disorder that is not curable. It takes a lot for me to get up every single day and go ‘Tami you look great,” Roman said. “Tami, you’re pretty. Tami, you’re beautiful. Tami, you don’t need to lose any more weight. Tami, you don’t need to do anything.’ It takes a lot for me to do that.”
The actress and reality star, who first gained prominence as a cast member on the MTV show The Real World, cautioned others who expressed concern about her weight loss.
“When I put up a picture and [people] ‘go you’re so skinny. I hope you’re not sick, I’m praying for you.’ Don’t pray for me, for something you don’t understand.”
Earlier in the segment, she said, “I started abusing laxatives, I started not eating, I started throwing up, I started doing everything that I could think of to do to be as skinny as I could possibly be, being obsessive about my weight loss. People don’t realize, that’s why I got my mouth wired in 1993. To be skinny when I was already skinny. And so now today at 50 years old, I’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and so my weight fluctuates with that, and you couple that with the disorder and it’s a hard thing to manage.”
Loni Love tearfully expressed her joy that Roman was OK.
“I’ve been on TV [for] eight seasons and I’m just the opposite. You know, you’re constantly trying to lose weight [and] you’re constantly trying to be healthy. People don’t understand the personal things that you’re going through. And when I saw you, my friend, I was worried” Love said. “So I’m just glad that you’re opening up about it cause I’m just – so concerned and I just want you to be okay”
Roman added, “I’m OK. I don’t have cancer. I’m not dying. There’s no undiagnosed illness. People try to make it all of that and it’s none of that. It’s just me trying to accept me.”
She continued. “Am I with my physician? No. Am I trying to manage it as best I can on my own and with my family? Yes.”