Heavy/Getty Kaitlyn Bristowe acknowledged her insecurities.
A former “Dancing with the Stars” champion opened up ahead of a photo shoot about her struggles with body dysmorphia and shared some photos after overcoming her nerves. Kaitlyn Bristowe shared some thoughts ahead of a swimwear photo shoot she faced, and she admitted she was a bit anxious about it.
Bristowe won season 29 of DWTS in 2020 with her professional partner, Artem Chigvintsev. She also handed out roses as the season 11 lead for “The Bachelorette.”
The former dancer and reality television veteran is known for being open in what she shares with fans, and that was the case ahead of this particular photo shoot, too.
Here’s what you need to know:
Kaitlyn Bristowe Struggled Ahead of a Revealing Photo Shoot
On March 24, Bristowe took to her Instagram Stories to tell fans about being “nervous” for the photo shoot. As Us Weekly noted, the “Dancing with the Stars” champion explained she was nervous in large part because “We are not editing any of the photos.”
The photos were being taken for a project with a bodywear and swimwear designer, so Bristowe could not hide any imperfections or areas she felt insecure about.
Bristowe was working hard to keep her nerves under control, though. Behind a lengthy note on an Instagram Story, Bristowe showed a snack-size package of chocolate chip cookies and an individual bag of Popchips.
She wrote, “I need to celebrate the small wins. 5 years ago I would have thought I need to eat air and grilled chicken to prep” for the swimwear photo shoot.
“Right now in this moment I’m thinking ‘ugh I love snacks,'” Bristowe admitted. She continued sharing her stream of consciousness about the situation. “Eating these snacks aren’t going to change my body overnight AND… working out and not feeding my body will only make me miserable.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” champion admitted she also thought to herself, “I’m gonna be hard on myself no matter what but lets lean into alllll the feelings and try to love on this body that I keep strong and healthy.”
Bristowe ended her Instagram Story by writing, “I still struggle but recognizing growth is a WIN. Body [dysmorphia] is real.”
The DWTS Star Has Talked About Her Body Dysmorphia Previously
This was not the first time Bristowe referred to issues of body dysmorphia. During the November 28, 2022 episode of “The Skinny Confidential” podcast, she mentioned that her mother was a professional ballerina. Bristowe herself grew up dancing.
“My whole life I’ve struggled with body dysmorphia, feeling like I’m not enough, comparing myself to others,” Bristowe explained. She also noted, “I’ve luckily never had an eating disorder, but I definitely had disordered eating.”
She said she has come a long way. Even so, Bristowe admitted during the podcast she still had times where “I’ll look in the mirror and I’ll start grabbing, like, barely skin and then I’ll go ‘stop it, Kaitlyn, you know what these thoughts are.”
Bristowe shared that now she has the tools “To stop myself, bring myself back to reality and not go down a suck hole of all these thoughts and feelings.” She also told listeners, “I have dysmorphia even in my face, that’s why I get Botox…symmetry is a crazy thing for me.”
“I have to reel myself in a lot of times when this happens to me because otherwise I can go to a very dark place,” the “Dancing with the Stars” champion revealed.
Bristowe Appeared Confident in Sneak Peeks from the Shoot
After posting her Instagram Story about her nerves and the swimwear photo shoot, she shared a few sneak peeks. She tagged the brand Londre Bodywear in one Instagram Story and used the Taylor Swift song “Lavender Haze” to accompany the shots.
In one photo, Bristowe posed for the photographer with a lavender background. She stood with her backside to the camera and smiled slightly as she looked over her shoulder at the camera.
The “Dancing with the Stars” champ wore open-toed wedge sandals and a cheeky striped thong bikini.
Another picture posted on her Instagram Stories showed Bristowe from the chest up. She wore a light purple top and purple-rimmed sunglasses as she puckered her lips.
A different photo added to Bristowe’s Instagram feed had the same background. She laid on the floor and from her waist up, she wore nothing except a couple of seashells over her breasts.
The photo prompted a mix of reactions from Bachelor Nation. Some people commented the photo was “gross” or suggested Bristowe looked too thin. Plenty of others, however, praised the “Dancing with the Stars” alum.
“The Bachelor” star Christina Mandrell gushed, “Yes!!!!!!!🔥😮😮🔥🔥🔥”
“You inspire me everyday,” a follower commented.
Another supporter added, “I feel this.❤️You look gorgeous as always! Your humor and truth is the best!! None like it.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”