The Pitch Perfect star’s story has been ‘pretty tough, pretty rocky, pretty depressing, a lot of ups and downs’
Veteran Australian comedian Rebel Wilson has revealed that she had a turbulent relationship with the management team that set her up on a US TV series after she struggled with food addiction issues.
“My last manager to set me up on the US deal didn’t want to manage me,” she told the Sunday Telegraph. “I’d had a really rough life. I’d lost everyone and I was sort of on the edge.”
The story, published two days before Christmas, has seen the actress follow allegations of bullying by alleging that she once lost 25kg (40lb) in three months due to a drugs and alcohol-fuelled crash.
But before those events, Wilson claimed her former manager told her that they could offer her the series after she finished her year-long stint in rehab, the newspaper reported.
The series, Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, attracted the most viewers for its launch in 2016, for which Wilson shared the top paid presenter prize with Britain’s Emma Willis and the US comedian and talk show host Steve Harvey.
The once-straight-talking comedian said the weight loss received “pushback” from the management team.
According to the newspaper, Wilson spent $15,000 and three days in residential rehab at the Cliffside centre in August 2014. Wilson is regarded as a pioneer for Australian television in Europe as a leading businesswoman, with credits in Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect, The Lego Movie and the recently released animated comedy Sherlock Gnomes.
Wilson had worked since 1999 in Australia as a professional standup comedian and later led the show, Celebrity Apprentice Australia.
The actor is now on the festival circuit in the UK, enjoying a series of sold-out showings of Dirty 30 with Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby. Wilson’s Hollywood thriller A Futile and Stupid Gesture is also premiering at the festival.