The New, Sad Lady Gaga Rumor: Hospitalized Repeatedly for Dangerous Dieting

By Christine Fenno Posted Sep 5th 2010 07:04AM

Internationally celebrated for her wildly original performances, Lady Gaga may have a wildly unoriginal habit: going hungry to look good onstage. A new biography penned by Maureen Callahan, 'Poker Face: The Rise and Rise of Lady Gaga,' reveals startling claims about the seemingly confident singer, according to RadarOnline.

Gaga's former tour manager, David Ciemny, alleges in the book that the 24-year-old binged on junk food when not depriving herself of calories altogether. And he claims that in 2009 alone, the Grammy winner landed in the hospital six times while dieting to slim down. Not once, not twice, but six times last year.

Back in March, fans fretted about her health when she nearly collapsed onstage, seemingly exhausted. And in April, the pop star's rep denied that Gaga was on a bizarre baby-food diet, after rumors circulated that she was subsisting on the small jars of pureed food -- rumors that sounded crazy to some, but since Gaga's a darling among fashion insiders, it isn't difficult to believe that she conforms to that industry's golden standard: be as tiny as possible, whatever it takes.

Wendy Starland, who helped discover the unknown New York City musician Stefani Germanotta before she became Lady Gaga, is also quoted in the new tell-all, and says of the singer's rising-star days, "The pressure on her to lose weight was very high."

Today, after millions in record sales, Gaga's success seems to hinge on promoting a very non-conformist, in-your-face persona: she's rebellious, audacious, and according to Time magazine, very influential. Her image isn't all she is, though; her intense connection to her fans is legendary, and she clearly yearns to inspire them.

But what would be truly inspiring is if Gaga found a way to be whatever size is healthiest for her, because she could help her little monsters do the same. If all this talk of dangerous dieting is true, it simply begs the question: Are Lady Gaga's provocative looks and even more provocative comments -- about drugs, her vagina's creativity, prayers to become insane, you name it -- really smoke-screens for a young woman who's so starving for fame and acceptance that she's actually just...starving?

(For more insights about Gaga, check out our exclusive interview next week with Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Maureen Callahan, all about her upcoming book 'Poker Face: The Rise and Rise of Lady Gaga,' on sale Sept. 14).

Tags: Lady Gaga

Comments

(49)

Sunday 05 September

By Tzeitel

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She has a horse face and what she lacks in talent, she more than makes up for with mental illness. She needs to go away, far, far away and get some help.

By Me

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Lacks in talent? Are you kidding me?

By Apostate

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Will the real Stefani Germanotta please stand up?Or has that woman been so subsumed by her creation that that person is,in effect,"gone"? Existentialism stew!

By laura gibson

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I think people should not be so harsh on her she's a person like the rest of us,we all have are fault's no one's perfect.We should be trying to be supportive of her not to downgrade her,just think of it as it was yourself or someone you loved or cared about.She's got my support and blessing's.

By my demon child

you are supposed to eat to live not live to eat. thats why americans are fat

By xxswirlypops

She's a hypersexualized facade, there's no real creativity there.

By Bill

A tad vulger, but I would eat her out anyway!

By sue

Yeah, right....She "yearns to inspire them (her fans)"...It was really inspiring to see her toss the finger numerous times at the Yankees game not so long ago....That was really inspiring for so many children who look up to her (GAG!).

By leeinchicago

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Sue, you're the "gag" here so please give it a break and do a little reading, watching and listening before you open your mouth like a fool.

Start with Larry King's interview. Lady Gaga is a most excellent role model as she espouses individuality, acceptance for who you are, radically disagrees with plastic surgery, is all about self-acceptance and asks her fans to fully embrace their own identities, not those forced upon them by society. If she gave the finger at a stupid baseball game that is HIGHLY inconsequential. And if that encourages young girls to flip the bird once in awhile, which I am quite sure it will not, there are PLENTY of worse things they could be doing. Get a frigging grip, will you? You sound like some old, puritanical, typical American fundamentalist.

I don't believe this story for a minute and since I saw her in person last Thursday night, I can tell you, from up close, that she does NOT look too skinny in the least. As a matter of fact, she has broad hips and her butt is above average size, not some worked-out, sinewy grossness like Madonna.

By tom

Some day she will implode. these kinds of people cant handle it when their 15 min of fame are up. We wonder why our kids are so "f**cked up, when girls (?) like her are role models. The rest of the world is driving by us, we cant even get half of our kids to graduate school. these are the good old days.

By go eff yourself

She Bleaches her skin. Her personality has totally changed before she struck stardom. And all music is. Is gay POP!

Wednesday 08 September

By Mae

she's admitted that she snorts coke sometimes..and have you seen the size of her legs? they're like sticks! she is really skinny.so it wouldn't surprise me that she has an eating disorder

By Don

People like Gaga feel they have to act and dress up in strange costumes to get fans. She can play piano I see and she is a good singer although I feel there is something else that makes her be the way she is, maybe something she thinks she needs to prove. I don't care for her, but a lot of people do.

Tuesday 07 September

By Chuck

That chick has some huge balls.

By paula

love, love, LOVE her!!!!

By bsti

She's a narcissistic beotch...............................

That's period.............................................

By CJ

anyone notice besides me that GaGa is a cutter? inside both elbows, left has old scares, right a a couple newer ones

Monday 06 September

By skyebtru

i luv gaga no matter what her size. haters gonna hate!