Calista Flockhart has undergone and incredible transformation. Nothing new, perhaps, for a Hollywood actress – her industry is one of endless reinvention. But this is spectacularly different. She hasn’t simply changed her hairstyle, favourite designer or husband – she has changed her life. And it shows.
The frailty that once characterised her slight, waif-like physique has been replaced by a more curvaceous, fuller and stronger figure.
Once the victim of jibes about her weight, she has now dramatically transformed her look by putting on pounds. “I’m in control of how I take care of myself and I’ve finally accepted that. I’m in charge of my own destiny. I don’t believe my weight was ever a problem. It was society’s obsession with my weight that was the problem.”
Image has always been an issue for Calista, 36. Since taking the title role of a neurotic lawyer in Ally McBeal, shown on Channel 4, she has been strongly associated with her character. If Ally was obsessive and dissatisfied, then so was Calista.
She recently adopted a baby boy, Liam, a move that instantly had a tremendous impact on her life. “I’m trying to take better care of myself. I’m a mother now, I have responsibilities,” she says. “I’m so much better about life now and I really have Liam to thank for turning me around.”
For the full story of Calista Flockhart, her new way of life and the future of Ally McBeal, see this week’s HELLO!, on sale now.