I have a very vivid memory of going to see Annie [as a young child]. I remember crying after it was over, because I didn’t want it to end and I knew that was what I wanted to do.
I had stuff to overcome. I was molested in my own home. You know, when you don’t feel safe in your own home, it’s a very hard place to live. It definitely made me turn to food.
I got progressively heavier and heavier. I was self-conscious about my body, but thank goodness I could switch it off and kind of perform. Thank goodness I had gotten a phone call for an audition for the movie Hairspray [at age 18].
Ricki Lake on Dancing with the Stars, November 15, 2011.