Superstar Sylvester Stallone says $225 million blockbuster Rocky came at a heavy price, reveals he developed disorder linked to 4X higher risk of heart attack, premature death

When Rocky hit the big screens in 1976, it quickly became a box-office juggernaut and also a cultural phenomenon. It also catapulted Sylvester Stallone to overnight superstardom. The film, which explored the life of Rocky Balboa, a club fighter, earned $225 million and three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, became a landmark in Stallone’s career and has since achieved cult status. However, filming the movie came at a price. In a recent interview, Stallone revealed becoming Rocky took a huge toll on his health. In a chat with the New York Times, the superstar said he battled bulimia both to become Rocky and for his other blockbuster, Rambo.

"I looked at Rocky: a very smooth, very normal-looking guy. And then I said, I think the character would start to become a bit more vain. And then in Rambo, you're playing a warrior, so you'd be a little bit more animalistic. You wouldn't be so smooth,” he said.

“It got to the point where I became a bulimic. You heard it here first. I got down to 2.6 percent body fat when I was doing Rocky III,” he said.


Stallone also admitted to using steroids to look fit and intimidating. “Nobody does it without additives and drugs, period. I don't care what they say. It isn't as though you're a junkie, but if you're going to work out and try to stay in shape for six months straight, and you're eating yoghurt and pudding, it's not happening," he said.

Today he is in top shape. But it comes at a price, said the Cobra star. He revealed he was on medication and admitted that he regretted insisting on doing his own stunts.

The Danger Of Bulimia

According to Northwester Medicine, people with bulimia have a tendency to overeat, followed by a cycle of purging to prevent weight gain. Compensatory behaviours can involve deliberately inducing vomiting or improperly using laxatives and diuretics. People with bulimia may also exercise excessively or switch between episodes of overeating and prolonged periods without food in an attempt to prevent weight gain. Because body weight may remain relatively stable during this pattern, the condition can sometimes go unnoticed by family members and friends.

Purging could lead to loss of minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium, which can weaken heart function.

Some bulimic people use ipecac syrup to trigger vomiting. If overused, it could damage heart muscles or cause cardiomyopathy – a disease which weakens the heart muscle and causes death.

Constant vomiting can cause dehydration, which increases heart rate.

Bulimia can also increase the risk of long-term cardiac diseases such as coronary artery disease as well as heart attack and stroke in people.

A major study published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined around 800 women hospitalised with bulimia alongside approximately 415,000 women hospitalised because of pregnancy-related complications over a 12-year period. The results highlighted significant cardiovascular risks associated with bulimia. Affected women had a sevenfold higher risk of atherosclerosis, a sixfold greater risk of coronary artery disease, and a fivefold higher likelihood of heart attack. They also faced four times the combined risk of heart attack, stroke and premature death.