Chrissie Swan has shared a personal and emotional story about her childhood, revealing that she was publicly weighed every single week from the age of 10.
Speaking on Nova 96.9’s Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie, the conversation started with a shocking story about Turkey’s new policy of random public weigh-ins to help fight obesity.
In Turkey, people can now be stopped at random by health officers in public places – like on trains or at sporting events – and weighed on the spot.
Chrissie was disturbed by the idea, recalling her own experiences with weigh-ins as a child.
“I’m sorry, that is fresh hell,” she said. “This is coming from someone whose first public weighing was at 10 years old at a Weight Watchers meeting.”
She explained that as a child, she would have to stand up in front of other people and announce whether she had gained or lost weight.
“I had to get up in front of Joy and Pam, who had little badges, and say, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve put on point four kilos,’” she said. “Every single week. You would queue up to get on the scales, then someone would record your weight on a little card.”
Her co-hosts were shocked, with Fitzy asking if this happened every week in front of others. Chrissie confirmed it did, adding to the emotional pressure she felt as a young girl trying to manage her weight in a public way.
The segment also sparked a wider discussion about body image and how people are often judged based on their weight – something Chrissie has been open about throughout her career.
Her story is a reminder of how early these issues can start, and how important it is to treat people with kindness and respect, especially when it comes to health and body image.
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