The actor was just 11 when she gained weight during the lockdown and started hearing comments about her body. Ruhaanika Dhawan , who rose to fame as a child actor with TV show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein , has spoken about a side of growing up that she rarely discusses publicly. She recently opened up about that phase, her fitness journey and the way her relationship with her body has changed over the years.
I think I was only 11 years old. Ruhaanika recently participated in Rohit Shetty’s Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 . I lost all the weight, but I did it clean.
Because they came at a time when she was still very young, in an interview with Zoom, Ruhaanika said the comments affected her, especially. That suddenly changed when the pandemic forced everyone indoors. “I have always been an active kid. I was very… pre-lockdown, I was doing swimming professionally, like competing and everything. Of course, we were bored. Our online classes happened. There was nothing… I was eating, I was studying, I was eating, I was studying. Her mother later encouraged her to become active again. Ruhaanika started by following workout videos on YouTube and doing HIIT exercises. She eventually found martial arts, which became a more permanent part of her routine. She cut down on biscuits and sugary foods and started including lighter meals and more protein in her diet. “I discovered where I worked out for one hour a day, doing these exercises. Then I switched to martial arts, which is a sport that I still have on now. Now it’s been six years that I work out and I eat clean. But it did make me conscious about my body. The Colors TV reality show brought together celebrity contestants for a series of challenging stunts filmed in a foreign location. Avinash Mishra eventually emerged as the winner of the season.
“If I’m being honest, anything with my body early does bother me because I used to be… I did gain weight in lockdown,” Ruhaanika said, explaining that she was only around 11 at the time. Ruhaanika said she gradually changed both her diet and exercise habits rather than relying on extreme measures. Comments on my body still… I feel a little bad about, but I’m learning to give more love to myself,” she said.
Before the lockdown, she had a busy routine that included professional swimming and competitions.
