At 39, Valeria Levitina was labeled “the world’s thinnest woman,” but behind the headlines was a darker reality. What started as a diet quickly spiraled. “Each promise of perfection pushed her further from reality — and closer to danger.”

Friends drifted away, meals became calculations, and mirrors turned into enemies. “I wanted to be accepted,” she said. “Instead, I disappeared.” At just 56 pounds, Valeria realized she had lost more than weight — she had lost her life as she knew it.

When young girls began messaging her, saying they wanted to be like her, Valeria decided to speak out. “There is nothing beautiful about this,” she warned. “You think you’re in control, but you’re not.”

Doctors note that extreme dieting is a misunderstood modern danger. It starts with discipline but ends with the body fighting to survive.

Today, Valeria’s story is no longer about thinness but survival. Her courage is a warning: don’t trade health for an illusion. “Once you start fading, it’s hard to find your way back.”