Katie Couric Opens Up About Bulimia Struggle In The '80s

Katie Couric got candid about battling a severe weight disorder back in the '80s. The author detailed the pressure to diet and be skinny in her new memoir "Going There."

Couric told PEOPLE that she has not stepped on a scale at home in the past five years, and she weighs herself backward when visiting the doctor. 

The 64-year-old said she sometimes refuses to measure her weight because she does not want the results to ruin her day.

Although Couric does not obsess over her size anymore, she battled bulimia for more than seven years after becoming a teenager.

In "Going There," the author said, "an aspect of perfectionism and high achieving that was very much a part" of her family and contributed to her body discontent.

The former "Today" anchor said placing pressure on women and dieting was integral to her culture. The journalist said,

"Like so many women of our generation, I aspired to be thin and lanky and all the things I'm not."

Looking back on her formative years, the ideal body type for women was skinny.

The producer said her older sisters once subsisted on a cottage cheese diet and cheered her to keep going when she lost 10 lbs after college.

Upon losing Karen Carpenter, who died of anorexia triggered heart failure in 1983, a shaken Couric realized the dangers of eating disorders on women, and her bulimia ended.

The mother-of-two said her memoir is a gift to daughters Carrie, 25, and Ellie, 30, and hopes it will impart wisdom from her experiences on them.

Couric broke a record as the first woman on Jeopardy! to star as a guest host.

The journalist revealed to PEOPLE that she loved the idea of being the first woman to achieve such a feat, and doing so had been on her bucket list.

The activist said her achievement was made special because she raised more awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research.

The illness killed her sister, 54-year-old Emily, in 2001, and the legendary Jeopardy! Host 80-year-old Alex Trebek in November 2020.

The presenter mentioned that she was a nervous wreck on the program and had never done anything like it before, but it was "so much fun."

Earlier this month, The Blast reported that Mayim Bialik took the reins from executive producer Mike Richards, who stepped down from the classic game show.

Bialik was to host the spin-off tournaments and specials but could not commit to the schedule due to other projects, including  season 2 of her Fox sitcom, "Call Me Kat."

Ken Jennings currently assists Bialik with hosting the show throughout the year, but it is unknown whether Bialik will be the new permanent host.