Kuch Kuch Hota Hai child star Sana Saeed reveals six-year battle with bulimia: 'I carried so much shame'

For years, Sana Saeed thought she was struggling with a personal flaw she needed to fix, not a recognised mental health condition that required support.

The actor, best known for playing Anjali, Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter in the 1998 film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, has opened up about her battle with bulimia, revealing that she lived with the eating disorder for years without even knowing it had a name.

In a recent interview, Sana spoke about the shame, isolation and lack of awareness that shaped her experience, while sharing that recovery only began when she finally understood what she was going through.

Sana recalled believing that her relationship with food was something she had to deal with privately.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, she said she spent years thinking she had developed a “bad habit” rather than recognising it as an eating disorder.

“I carried so much shame around it, thinking I was the only one dealing with this,” she said, adding that she had no understanding of what was happening for nearly six years.

Her journey towards healing began when she came across a book about recovery that helped her identify her struggles. For the first time, she had the language to describe what she was experiencing.

“That’s when the real healing began,” she said, revealing that it took another four years to fully recover.

Sana said she often wonders how different her journey could have been if she had known earlier what she was dealing with.

“Now that I’m healed, it matters to me deeply that if my story helps even one person feel less alone in theirs, that’s worth more than the discomfort of being vulnerable in public,” she said.

Looking back, Sana said she does not hold any person or moment responsible for her struggles. Instead, she sees her younger self as someone who lacked the tools to separate her appearance from her identity.

“I don’t look back at any one moment or person with blame,” she said, adding that she eventually realised she was spending too much of her life managing the disorder instead of actually living.

The turning point came when she began imagining the future she wanted — one where food and body image did not control her life.

She recalled thinking about marriage and motherhood, saying she did not want to spend meaningful moments worrying about meals or pass those fears on to future children.

“If any of that was going to be my future, I had to heal first,” she said.

Earlier, Sana had shared a post on Instagram where she spoke about her experience with bulimia and the years she spent struggling silently.

“I didn’t know I had an eating disorder for years. Not because I wasn’t suffering, but because I had never heard the words,” she wrote.

She explained that growing up, conversations around eating disorders were rare, leaving her without the understanding or support she needed.

The actor said discovering information about bulimia helped her finally make sense of her experiences, though accepting it and letting go of the shame took time.

Today, Sana says she has reached a place of recovery and acceptance.

“I am fully recovered and I have never felt more at home in my body or my life,” she wrote, encouraging anyone struggling with similar issues to seek help from trusted people or qualified professionals.