Jane the Virgin and Deepwater Horizon star, Gina Rodriguez, gave an exclusive to PeopleStyle about being diagnosed with thyroid problems twelve years ago at the age of nineteen. Soon after she was diagnosed with thyroid issues, Gina decided to pursue her goal of becoming an actor. Since one of the side affects of thyroid issues is weight fluctuation and acne, Gina realized she would have an uphill battle to obtain her leading lady status. However, she fought to silence her own negative thoughts, allowing her confidence to drive her instead. Now Gina wants to reach out to others to encourage to do the same by finding their inner “unicorn”.

The Jane the Virgin star is opening up exclusively to PeopleStyle about her battle with a thyroid disorder, and exactly what it took for her to find the courage to become the actress she is today.

“It began when I was 19 years old and I got fired, and I realized keeping my weight down was going to be much more difficult,” Rodriguez tells PeopleStyle, adding that her self-confidence began to suffer. “It was difficult for me to stay in the comfortable zone of my weight. I was very tired. My fatigue was through the roof. When everyone else was cold, I was sweating bullets.”

Soon after she was diagnosed with the illness, Rodriguez decided she wanted to make her way in Hollywood — a goal that seemed impossible with her ongoing struggle with her body. “I was like, ‘Okay I want to be an actor. I want to be a leading lady.’ But now I am being told there is no way I can because they are way skinnier, which was very destructive to me because I felt like I was getting curvy.”

“For many years I had a daily conversation with myself about how I was going to help make that change,” she shares. “Because there is no way in this world things are only allotted to certain people because of their figure. There is no way that should be possible. There is no way that’s fair. There is no way that kind of limitation is going to help those that don’t fit into that box.”

So she began turning all of her negative, self-hating thoughts into positives — and overcame her battle. “‘Oh you look fat. Oh God the pimple! Oh my God that skin. Oh my God no one is going to love me.’ Who is that voice? I started to realize that little demon that was inside of me, and I was going to find my unicorn and I was going to let them have a conversation because that unicorn was the one that was like, ‘No, no, no. It’s just a freaking pimple. It’s just five pimples. They will go away eventually. It’s okay. Look at that smile though. Alright, so you’re curvier today. Yeah let’s work those curves.’”

“Recognize the voice that comes in but wants to tear down the beautiful amazing human being that you are. You know what? You are the most beautiful human being on this planet. Compared to no one. You hear what I’m saying? You are the most beautiful you. You are the best version of yourself. And when that demon comes in and says your thighs are thick, you say, ‘You know what demon? Yes they are and I am going to work them. I am going to rock the s–t out of my thick thighs and I am rocking this whole damn city with my thick thighs loving them.’”

[From PeopleStyle]

I am close to a few people who suffer with thyroid problems. I don’t personally so my knowledge is not firsthand. For anyone not familiar, the thyroid hormones affects (among other things) the regulation of the body’s energy and use of other hormones in addition to the maturation of body tissues. My one girlfriend described her disorder as going through menopause during puberty. So thyroid problems suck regardless of what industry you choose to go into but I couldn’t imagine setting my sights on such an image conscious profession when my hormones were sabotaging me. I wish we could bottle Gina’s confidence – and I mean that in every way complimentary. Of course Gina is not the first person to preach overcoming your own demons but she isn’t oversimplifying it by simply suggesting “get over it”. What I like most about her message is that it isn’t a how-to on meeting Hollywood beauty ideals despite thyroid problems. She encourages inner empowerment rather than conformity, which has obviously served her well.

Photo credit: WENN Photos