Erin Heatherton Quit Victoria’s Secret Because They Told Her To Lose Weight

Erin Heatherton walked away from Victoria’s Secret after they told her she needed to lose weight.

During a recent interview with Time magazine, the 27-year-old model — who has been featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit several times — opened up about why she quit working for the lingerie brand in 2013. (RELATED: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Wants Bernie Sanders To Be President)

“My last two Victoria’s Secret shows, I was told I had to lose weight,” Heatherton said. “I look back like, ‘Really?'”

She said her body “just wouldn’t do it.”

“I was really depressed because I was working so hard and I felt like my body was resisting me,” she continued. “And I got to a point where one night I got home from a workout and I remember staring at my food and thinking maybe I should just not eat.”

“I realized I couldn’t go out into the world — parading my body and myself in front of all these women who look up to me — and tell them that this is easy and simple and everyone can do this.” (RELATED: Erin Heatherton Nearly Loses Her Top, Gets Smacked In The Face By A Wave In ‘SI’ Outtakes)

She said she’s speaking out about it now because she wants to help others.

“I’m willing to sacrifice my pride, in a sense, and my privacy because I know that if I don’t speak about it, I could be withholding information that would really help women,” she says. “It hurts too much to keep it in, and that’s why I’m not keeping it in now.”

Time reached out to Victoria’s Secret for a comment, but the brand did not get back. (RELATED: Your Sports Illustrated Rookie Of The Year Is A Victoria’s Secret Model, Too)