Valeria Levitin, known as the world's thinnest woman, weighs just four stone after enduring years of extreme dieting, a weight far below what is considered healthy. Standing at 5ft 8in, her ideal weight should fall between 9st and 12st according to NHS guidelines. Despite her severe underweight condition, Levitin cautions young girls against aspiring to such a thin physique, advocating for a societal change in perspective.
At 39, Levitin revealed to The Sun, “I’ve received emails from young girls asking me to teach them how to become like me. Most of these letters come from women in their twenties who see me as an inspiration.”
In response, she courageously addresses her condition and campaigns against anorexia, refusing to guide anyone towards what she calls a destructive path.
Having struggled with an eating disorder since her teenage years, Valeria has chosen to publicly disclose the profound impacts of her illness. She aims to dissuade others from following a similar path by sharing her story. Levitin describes her anorexia as leaving her feeling “lonely, unattractive, and repulsive to those around me.”
Her challenges began with her mother's fear of Valeria becoming obese like other family members, leading to strict dietary controls from a young age. This relentless pursuit of perfection involved her mother constantly monitoring her weight to ensure no gains.
At 16, Valeria moved to Chicago with her parents, weighing 10st. In an effort to fit in at a new school, she believed losing weight would help her be more accepted and popular. This belief led her to further restrict her diet, eliminating sugar and carbohydrates.
Ironically, her long-term avoidance of certain foods has now made them intolerable to her body. A cruel remark from a classmate about her figure further intensified her determination to lose weight. She recounted, “We were playing football, and during the game, a man said, ‘I know how we can win. We need to put Valeria’s big arse in the goal.’ It shattered my entire world.”
By age 23, her dress size had dropped from a healthy 12 to a tiny 6. Pursuing a modeling career only exacerbated her situation; despite being very thin, she was told she was still too fat. By 24, she weighed just six stone and was prohibited from dancing due to the risk of injury.
Over the next decade, she sought help from over 30 health specialists, reaching a perilous low of 3st 10lbs. Even if she wanted to eat certain foods today, her body can’t tolerate them. Her long-term avoidance of bread is so severe that she can’t even remember its taste.
Her illness has led to a life of isolation. Single for ten years, she finds relationships challenging, unable to engage in typical couple activities like dining out. Valeria believes that a traditional doctor’s intervention won’t cure her, having seen no weight gain despite numerous specialist visits. Instead, she feels the issue is a “lack of harmony between body and soul.”
She now relies on supplements to prevent bruising and avoids situations where she might fall. Considering a move back to Moscow, she feels more connected there and dreams of becoming a mother through surrogacy.
Valeria hopes that the desire to have a child could motivate her to regain her health. Achieving good health is a goal she believes she can reach while working towards becoming a mother.
Expressing her longing for a family, she said, “I would love to have a family because I feel I have so much to give. But obviously, it wouldn’t be right to have a baby when I am ill. It wouldn’t be fair to the child. I want to stand up to anorexia. I’ve never given up on anything in my life, and I’m not about to give up now.”
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