This Girl Hated Her Body and Felt 'Ugly' – at 31, She's a Top Star, but Still Gets Mocked for Her Teeth

For much of her life, the public figure "felt like a floating head," disconnected from her body due to unhappiness with her appearance. Although her self-image has improved, she is still surprised by how often people comment on her teeth.

The celebrity has faced many struggles with body image, beginning in her early childhood. Born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, she battled intense shyness and an eating disorder since she was 16.

Her challenges were not limited to personal struggles. With a mother who worked at Childline and a father who sold cars while battling addiction, she faced an unstable environment at home. The actress revealed in an April 2025 interview:

"I was almost mute, very socially anxious. I couldn't sit down and eat a meal. My mum had to leave food around the house and I'd have to snack around. Now I know it was neurodivergence."

That confusion only grew stronger as she got older. She could not understand why tasks that seemed easy for others felt so difficult for her, and why things others struggled with came naturally.

"I got diagnosed a few years ago with ADHD with autistic traits," she explained. "But then it's been advised that I should go for an autism assessment. They think that maybe it's autism that's leading the charge, and the ADHD is almost a by-product of the masking."

As life at home became more difficult, new challenges appeared at school. After her parents' separation, the future star's stepfather enrolled her in a private school.

There, she endured relentless bullying and deep unhappiness. "I can remember the day where I made the strategic choice, in year seven, to change," she recalled in another interview. During a drama class game of freeze tag, a teacher gave her a simple nod — "Do it."

At that moment, she realized, "I'm at a crossroads. I can either carry on how I am and be really miserable or I can get up and do a funny character that might make people laugh." She took a chance, and to her surprise, it worked — perhaps too well.

That decision to embrace humor opened new doors, leading her toward a future in acting. After graduating from RADA, she landed her first television role as Aimee Gibbs in the hit Netflix series "Sex Education."

Her character's storylines explored personal liberation through masturbation, surviving sexual assault, and, later, coping with its emotional aftermath in season three. She recounted in another interview:

"I remember feeling quite vulnerable after 'Sex Education.' If it had been all of us getting our boobs out, then I would feel better. It felt like I was the one that had done the freakiest stuff."

However, the fame that followed brought new struggles. As the show's audience climbed past 50 million viewers, she grew uneasy off-screen, often dressing in quirky, frumpy clothes — if she went out at all. Struggling with body image once again, the celebrity began covering up, desexualizing herself, and denying the desire to feel confident and alluring.

This discomfort carried into her professional life. While preparing for her role in the musical "Cabaret," rehearsals started well — acting and singing came naturally — but dancing proved harder.

"I was so embarrassed. At drama school I was being told consistently that I was moving my body in the wrong way. So when I walked into a rehearsal, where I have to express myself through my body, I felt like I was going to burst into tears. I hate feeling awkward in my own body," she admitted, adding:

"It's definitely tied into having had eating disorders. Your body becomes like an enemy. I was so detached from my body when I was in the eating disorders, it was like I was outside it, scrutinizing it."

The uneasiness eventually kept her indoors. Leaving the house became rare, as the pressure of being recognized everywhere took a heavy toll. She once explained:

"If you've been bullied as a kid, like I was at school, the feeling of being noticed wherever you go… it was not healthy for me."

Encounters with fans varied — some asked for selfies, others secretly filmed her on the tube, while many wanted to share personal stories after the second season of "Sex Education." Overwhelmed and caught in a constant fight-or-flight state, she chose to stay at home for what she described as "a long time."

Though friends would visit during the evenings and the actress still managed early mornings at work, simple outings like shopping or walking down the street filled her with dread.

She often felt as if she were failing those who approached her, believing she was not giving enough. Yet, with time and therapy, the actress recognized that she was simply trying to go about her day and was not an expert, just an ordinary person.

It was during this period of growth that Aimee Lou Wood gave voice to a feeling that had shadowed her for much of her life. She revealed that, because of her history with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, she often "felt like a floating head"— a mind full of ideas but disconnected from her body due to deep self-hatred, a feeling she gratefully no longer carries.

Wood, who also suffered from anorexia and bulimia, now views her mental health as part of her reality, not an abstract idea, "I'm like, 'no, accept the brain that you've got and now start living for that truth.'"

She described herself as someone living with many mental illnesses and believes there is nothing wrong with being mentally ill. A psychic's advice — that as long as she stays in reality, the world is her oyster — continues to steady her.

Still, insecurities linger beneath the surface. The 31-year-old recalled working on 2021's "The White Lotus," where a producer mentioned how much Mike White had fought to cast her. Although the comment came from a kind place, she could not shake the thought:

"HBO didn't want me. And I know why HBO didn't want me, it's because I'm ugly. Mike had to say 'Please let me have the ugly girl!'"

Even as her career grew, the focus on her appearance proved harder to escape. Discussions about Wood's teeth — once celebrated as a refreshing contrast to Hollywood's obsession with perfection — soon became exhausting.

Though she appreciated the message of rebellion it carried, the endless attention made her feel reduced to her looks. The English native, whose Stockport accent has also been criticized, once expressed:

"The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I'm not getting to talk about my work."

She admitted feeling disheartened, questioning why such scrutiny persisted and wondering if a man would have faced the same obsession over appearance.

The scrutiny over her appearance reached even wider audiences. A skit on "Saturday Night Live" recently mocked Wood's teeth, portraying her "White Lotus" character with oversized fake teeth and a clumsy British accent. Although she received apologies from the show's team and managed a smile, the skit reportedly bothered her.

Despite the public attention, Wood continues to be honest about her own insecurities. In an earlier interview, she admitted that her worries about her teeth were a barrier she created in her own mind, not something that actually cost her roles.

Theatre auditions had always felt easier, but television made her doubt herself, especially seeing the polished smiles on platforms like Netflix. Over time, messages from fans who shared her features helped shift her perspective. She credited Georgia May Jagger, whose success helped her see that having prominent teeth could be seen as beautiful, not awkward.

As her confidence grew, Wood found herself speaking more openly about embracing her natural features. During a March 2025 appearance on "The Jonathan Ross Show," she admitted, "I can't believe the impact my teeth are having." Hearing orthodontists say she did not need to change anything felt "lovely," a full circle moment after years of bullying.

Beyond that, Wood has also been vocal about keeping her appearance natural. She opposes Botox, explaining that while others are free to choose for themselves, her own career depends on the ability to move her face. "So, I can't start freezing my face. It needs to move," she joked.

Through years of personal battles, Wood has learned to embrace every part of herself, from her body image struggles to the features that once made her feel different. Her journey shows the strength in choosing authenticity over perfection.

Whether speaking about mental health or standing against unrealistic beauty standards, she continues to carve out a space defined by honesty. In doing so, Wood reminds others that there is beauty in simply being real.