I’m on steroids, I’ll never get my old figure back: Lisa Ray

The Indo-Canadian actor talks about walking confidently on the red carpet despite putting on 40 pounds during her illness phase a few years ago; says she might collaborate with film-maker Deepa Mehta.

Indo-Canadian actor Lisa Ray’s struggle with multiple myeloma has been a long one. Despite being declared cancer free in 2010, the actor is still under heavy medication. Did she ever fear that the treatment and medicines might affect her looks?

The Indo-Canadian actor talks about walking confidently on the red carpet despite putting on 40 pounds during her illness phase a few years ago; says she might collaborate with film-maker Deepa Mehta.

Read: Lisa Ray caught on the wrong foot!

“My main concern was to stay alive,” says Lisa, adding, “I gained 40 pounds because of the steroids I took during the illness, but I still walked the red carpet of a film event. It was the least self-conscious I’d ever been. I broke through ‘The Pathology of perfection’, which, I think, a lot of us in the industry suffer from.”

Indo-Canadian actor Lisa Ray’s struggle with multiple myeloma has been a long one. Despite being declared cancer free in 2010, the actor is still under heavy medication.

The actor goes on to talk about how she stopped “relying on her looks”. She says, “Looks do matter, but they aren’t most important. I’m on steroids. I’ll never get my old figure back. But forget my cancer experience; even getting older has an impact on your looks. And I’m okay with that.”

Ask her if being a public figure made the treatment phase difficult for her, considering there is very little privacy for celebs, and Lisa says, “Not at all. I consciously chose to go out in the public in order to create more awareness about the disease. I think speaking openly about cancer in India is important, as there’s a strange taboo around the disease in the country.”

On the work front, Lisa, who has worked with film-maker Deepa Mehta in the past, is planning to collaborate with the latter soon. “I can’t say for sure, but I hope so. Working with Deepa has always been a fantastic experience. She is a good friend,” says the actor.