She ate 3 apples a day for 8 months — the shocking effects 5 years later

It started as a quest to fit into size 0 runway looks. But behind the polished photos and flashing lights was a silent battle—a young model surviving on just three apples a day. Years later, the emotional and physical toll of that extreme dieting choice still echoes through her story.

A dream career turned nightmare

At just 18, Victoire Maçon-Dauxerre was discovered in the street and quickly swept into the glamorous world of high fashion. She signed with a top agency, walked for luxury brands, and appeared on major runways. But behind the scenes, her life became a rigid routine of photo shoots, castings—and hunger.

To fit the ultra-thin ideal expected in the modelling industry, she adopted a severe eating plan: three apples daily, with the rare piece of fish or chicken once a week. In two months, she dropped nearly 10 kilos. But the more she shrank, the more distorted her body image became.

“I kept telling myself I’d go back to eating normally,” she later shared. “But a voice in my head kept saying I wasn’t thin enough.”

The cost of chasing thinness

Victoire’s strict regime wasn’t about health—it was about survival in an industry that praised skeletal frames. At her lightest, she weighed under 47 kilos at 1.78 metres tall. The glamour vanished quickly. She didn’t feel beautiful—she felt invisible, reduced to what she later described as a “coat hanger.”

Her body wasn’t the only thing breaking down. She battled anorexia, anxiety, and deep emotional distress. When her mother caught a glimpse of her gaunt frame in the bathroom one day, she panicked and rushed to feed her. “She brought me a whole roast chicken, and I ate the entire thing,” Victoire recalled.

The moment was a turning point—but recovery wasn’t immediate.

A hidden war beneath the surface

Despite the industry praising her for her looks, Victoire knew something was deeply wrong. “They wanted me thin. That’s what made me valuable,” she said in an interview. But the irony wasn’t lost on her: many of her professional images were heavily retouched—adding curves to a frame that was dangerously thin in real life.

After leaving the modelling world, her eating disorder flipped. She fell into bulimia, struggled with depression, and eventually attempted suicide, leading to a stay in a psychiatric clinic. The glossy veneer of fashion had cracked, revealing the intense pressure young models face behind closed doors.

Reclaiming life and identity

Years later, Victoire found healing—not on the runway, but on stage. She resumed her studies in London and began performing at the Shakespeare’s Globe. Acting, she said, helped her “reconnect body and mind.” Through theatre and training at a drama conservatory, she found new purpose—and a way to rebuild self-worth not tied to her weight.

Today, she plays Vanessa, a chef in a French TV drama, and continues to act in both stage and screen roles. She’s even co-producing a film based on her memoir, in partnership with the producers of Vikings, where she once appeared.

Turning pain into purpose

Victoire now uses her platform to advocate for healthier standards in the fashion industry. She works with non-profits and think tanks like Ateliers Mercure and the Imhotep association, pushing for change in how body image and health are approached in public policy and media.

Her story is a powerful reminder that what we see in glossy magazines often hides a much darker reality. And that true beauty—and real strength—comes from reclaiming your life, your health, and your voice.