Gina Rodriguez Gets Real When Talking About Living with Hashimoto Disease in Hollywood

Gina Davis’s career is skyrocketing right now but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deal with some of the same struggles women everywhere face on a day to day basis. The Jane the Virgin star, who has two movies coming out, got candid with Health Magazine for a cover story, and that meant opening up about her experience with Hashimoto’s Disease.

The actress has been an outspoken advocate for women and her mindfulness when it comes to weight and perception come from her own experience.

“It’s always been a battle for me with weight,” she admitted. ‘Keeping weight off is very difficult because my metabolism is pretty much shot, which to me felt like a curse when I was 19. As an actress, I would say, ‘Seriously? In a world that’s so vain, I have to deal with the disease that makes you not keep weight off?’ But it actually became a blessing because then I got to represent not only women and Latinas but also women who are dealing with this disease. I’m gluten-free, which is the most difficult thing in the world because, like Oprah, I love bread!”

She is careful to exercise and eat well to keep her body as healthy as possible.

“If I can at least walk for 20 minutes a day, it’s extremely helpful for my thyroid gland,” the 32-year-old shared. “Running, boxing, jump rope and hitting the heavy bag are my workout constants.”

It turns out boxing was good for her professional career as well as her personal health. She shared that while filming Deepwater Horizon she spent a lot of time in the ring boxing with her director Peter Berg.

“I ended up boxing every day,” she elaborated. “I got so strong that summer, it was unreal. Mark [Wahlberg] would come when he could. Peter and I would box each other in the ring. I adore him. He’s cracked me across the face, and I’ve cracked him across the face. It’s really not as painful as you would think. We don’t break that easily.”

The open and relatable star also said she hopes she can use her platform to help other people embrace themselves and others. She works to change the way others go about respecting themselves.

“All of those thoughts, ‘I’m not pretty enough, smart enough, strong enough,’ only exist within you,” she explained. “If you don’t feel like you’re strong enough, start working on your strength. If you don’t feel like you’re tall enough, well, sorry, baby, what’s what God gave you. [Laughs] It’s just life. Tall enough for what? Let’s start breaking these thoughts down and understand where the illusion lies, where the truth lies, where your control is, and what you can do to make it better. Now, when somebody tells me no, I say, ‘OK, thank you. I’m gonna look for the yes. Your no doesn’t end my world.’”