‘Ellen saved me from anorexia’, says Portia DeGeneres

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Portia DeGeneres says her wife Ellen DeGeneres ‘pulled her out’ of the grip of an eating disorder.

The actress, formally known as Portia de Rossi, took her wife’ surname in August, two years after the couple married.

Portia DeGeneres says her wife Ellen DeGeneres ‘pulled her out’ of the grip of an eating disorder.

The actress, formally known as Portia de Rossi, took her wife’ surname in August, two years after the couple married.

In her soon-to-be-released memoirs, titled Unbearable Lightness, the star describes starving herself on 150 calories a day and working out for hours.

She was eventually diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, organ failure and the auto-immune disease lupus.

She described meeting her future wife at a concert in 2001, saying: “I remember being so excited and overjoyed to be around her that I can still recall the feeling of running after her back stage.”

“Ellen has taught me not to care about other people’s opinions,” she said. “Ellen saw a glimpse of my inner being from underneath the flesh and bone, reached in and pulled me out.”

The former Ally McBeal star also said she was “terrified” about coming out as a lesbian after meeting the talkshow host.

She told Women’s Weekly : “I had such a long way to go before I could even be seen in public with a woman, much less be seen in public with that one.”