Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘Shallow Hal’ Body Double Says She Almost Died After Weight Loss Surgery

Vince Bucci/Getty Images

Snitzer also spoke positively about her time on set, saying, “It was so exciting. It was just fun to be part of a movie – there’s so few people who actually get to do that in the world,” adding that the cast and crew “made her feel really comfortable” and “treated me like I really mattered, like they couldn’t make the movie without me.” She also described Black as “a delightful person” and Paltrow as “really nice.”

However, things took a turn after the movie’s release, with some fans attacking Snitzer for “promoting obesity.” One person even sent diet pills to her address.

“I got really scared and I just got really small,” she recalled. “I was like:, ‘maybe I’m done with the concept of fame, maybe I don’t want to be an actor. Maybe I’ll do something else.'”

20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.

Then her health took a turn for the worst. In 2003, on doctors’ recommendations, Snitzer underwent lap band surgery to reduce the size of her stomach. But not long after the operation, her band slipped, causing a stomach torsion. This meant that for three months, she couldn’t consume anything thicker than water without throwing up.

“I was so thin you could see my teeth through my face, and my skin was all grey,” she shared. “And I was just SO bitchy all the time. I kind of alienated a lot of my friends. My mother was also dying at the time. It was bleak. Humans shouldn’t have to experience how very bleak that particular time in my life was.”

Ivy Snitzer Facebook

She became so malnourished that doctors were unable to perform surgery to remove the band, so for four months, Snitzer had to hook herself up to an IV bag every night to get her nutrients. Eventually, doctors performed a gastric bypass, removing part of her stomach. But still, to this day, she can only eat “weird tiny portions” and can’t eat and drink at the same time.

Snitzer also noticed that people were nicer to her when she was emaciated compared to when she was obese.

Ivy Snitzer Facebook

These days, Snitzer is in a much better place; she runs her own insurance agency and is healthy. And she still looks back on her time on Shallow Hal fondly, despite the criticisms that came with it.

“I love that it’s a cool thing I did one time. It didn’t make me feel bad about myself. Until, you know, other people started telling me I probably should have felt bad about myself,” she said.