Monday, 20 November 2006

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Evangeline Lilly: I nearly quit Lost

Actress felt under pressure to stay thin

Evangeline Lilly nearly left cult show Lost because she feared she was losing her mind.

The 27-year-old, who plays fugitive Kate Austen, hit rock-bottom in a New York hotel two years ago.

She says: 'I called my parents and said, "I don't know what's wrong. I don't know if I can keep going in this industry".

'I just wanted to get away from it all. I never wanted to be a big film star. I just wanted the comfort of having a job I love.'

In an interview with the America magazine Self, the actress also says the pressure to maintain the perfect Hollywood figure added to her worries.

She made herself ill with dieting and three hour work-outs to maintain her size eight figure.

'The pressure to stay thin is enough to make you go insane,' she says. 'I was overworked and undernourished.'

But the star managed to 'find herself' again during a month doing charity work in Africa. She also beats her demons with her own personal mantra - 'I am what I am' - which she repeats 20 times a day.

'I know it's cheesy,' she admits. 'But it reminds me if people don't like who I am, that's okay.'