Disney Channel alum Christy Carlson Romano once thought Hollywood might ‘kill’ her
Christy Carlson Romano was living a life far different from her clean-cut Disney Channel image, she reveals in her upcoming memoir, “Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Rise and Fall of a Child Star.”
The former “Even Stevens” star, 42, writes about the first time she tried cocaine — which she says was at a Halloween party at Paris Hilton’s home — and also about suffering from bulimia in her memoir.
In an excerpt obtained by People, Romano says she was given cocaine by a guest at Hilton’s party named Edie, whom she describes as a gorgeous assistant at a marketing firm who was well-connected.
“Even though I’ve been to a million clubs, I’ve never seen cocaine before, never done it, but I know what the white lines on the table are. I’ve always sworn I’d never try it,” she writes, per the outlet.
After inhaling the drug, the “Kim Possible” alum recalls that Edie and fellow partygoers laughed at “getting the Disney girl to do blow for the first time.”
Romano also writes that she became bulimic “just to feel something,” and that she got down to a size 00 in pants.
But after spending six months in Los Angeles and sleeping all day while partying all night — and doing more cocaine after trying it for the first time — Romano says knew she had to leave.
“I can’t take the shallowness of Hollywood and clubs anymore,” she writes. “It’s going to kill me.”
“Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Fall and Rise of a Child Star” is out on Oct. 6.
The former child star has been promoting her book and, on Wednesday, she publicly blasted one of her exes — her “Cadet Kelly” co-star Shawn Ashmore — by claiming he ghosted her because she “wasn’t famous enough.”
“Shawn and I dated for the summer we filmed ‘Cadet Kelly’ and for a few months after,” Romano, who was 18 at the time, wrote on Instagram alongside a pic of them together on set.
“I was eventually ghosted and had heard ‘his team’ thought I wasn’t famous enough for us to keep dating. Hollywood is brutal for a young girl,” she continued.
Romano concluded that she wrote her memoir to “expose everything that actually happens in this business.”
Romano has spoken about her eating disorder in the past. In October 2021, she candidly discussed the unhealthy time in her life in a video on her YouTube channel.
The 5’7″ actress said that at one point she dropped to a worrying 105 pounds.
“I remember drinking a lot and I remember smoking lots of cigarettes and I remember just not eating and waking up at, like, later parts of the day and not prioritizing my health in general,” she recalled.
“I look at pictures from that time and I just know how unhappy the lifestyle was for me,” she added.
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) website or call their hotline at (800)-931-2237 to get help.