Hallmark Star Alexa PenaVega Opens Up On Heartbreaking Hospitalization

Alexa PenaVega has starred in a number of Hallmark Channel movies but first found fame in Spy Kids. The actress recently opened up about her eating disorder and how it tragically led to her being hospitalized. Alexa, 33, is now on tour, promoting her new memoir, What If Love Is The Point? That she co-authored with her actor husband, Carlos PenaVega.

Hallmark star Alexa PenaVega and her new book

Hallmark star Alexa PenaVega has recently opened up about her eating disorder that has had long-lasting effects on her health. The Picture Perfect actress is currently on tour with her husband, Carlos, promoting her new book, What If Love Is The Point? The book, which she co-authored with her husband, details what happened to her when she stopped binge eating and purging.

In a recent Instagram post, which can be seen here Alexa read an excerpt from her book, saying that during that time she was receiving only the “smallest bits of nutrition.” She had been throwing up every meal she ate for around five years and she “brutalized” her body so much that it could no longer process food naturally. In the Instagram video, PenaVega added:

As a result, when I did make an effort to eat again, my body wasn’t able to handle food. So two months after I stopped binging and purging, I ended up being hospitalized for ulcers, bloating and other digestive complications.

Alexa’s body had to ‘reset itself’

PenaVega explained how she had to see various doctors for treatment to try to get her body back on track. Meanwhile, in a Q&A, she also answered a fan’s question about her healing and recovery process, saying:

My body had to reset itself. There was a lot of learning like I had to learn what foods were actually nutritious, and honestly, that’s been a huge journey.

I’m still learning what foods are right for my body. But I would say yeah, the beginning of my recovery from my eating disorder was the hardest because I was reintroducing food for the first time, and my body was not happy.

Meanwhile, PenaVega also spoke candidly about her eating disorder while competing on Dancing With the Stars in 2015. She admitted that she was praised by media personnel and industry people for her weight, despite her unhealthy lifestyle.

Hallmark star Alexa PenaVega’s career

Alexa first found fame globally for her role in the 2001 movie Spy Kids, where she played Carmen Cortez. As noted by Pop Culture, she also starred in two sequels Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.

Since that time, she has become a regular star on the Hallmark Channel, with a number of credits to her name. Her first movie was Ms. Matched, followed by Destination Wedding and Enchanted Christmas. She then starred with her husband, Carlos, in Love at Sea and in a holiday movie, Christmas Made to Order.

Alexa’s most recent movies on Hallmark are the Picture Perfect Mysteries series. She starred in Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newly Wed and Dead, Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds with her husband Carlos. The latest in the series was Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage Death. PenaVega also stars in another new Hallmark movie, Taking a Shot at Love.

We wish Alexa PenaVega all the best in her struggle with the eating disorder and look forward to seeing the talented actress in more movies on Hallmark soon.  Keep checking back here for more Hallmark Channel news and updates.