{
  "id": 10258382,
  "title": "Sylvester Stallone reveals bulimia, steroid use and the brutal price he paid to become Rocky",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/sylvester-stallone-reveals-bulimia-steroid-use-and-the-brutal-price",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T16:17:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/sylvester-stallone-reveals-bulimia-steroid-use-and-the-brutal-price-he-paid-to-become-rocky-1.500689841"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent interview with The New York Times, Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone opened up about his struggles with bulimia, steroid use, and the toll they took on his body as he prepared for his iconic role as Rocky Balboa. The 44-year-old actor revealed that his obsession with attaining an impossibly lean physique became unhealthy, leading him to engage in bulimia and steroid use. Stallone explained that during the production of Rocky III, he reached a body fat percentage of 2.6 percent, but maintaining it became an all-consuming obsession. He admitted to using steroids, claiming that it was necessary to achieve his fitness goals, though he admitted that it took a \"terrible toll\" on his body.\n\nStallone also shared intimate details about his humble beginnings, recounting how he once slept on the floor of pizza boxes in New York City to make ends meet. He described living in poverty, cleaning lion cages at the Central Park Zoo, and even having little affection from his parents during his childhood. Despite these hardships, Stallone claimed that divine guidance guided him in finishing his famous script for Rocky. He famously sold his dog to afford the project, which eventually became a cultural phenomenon and won three Oscars. Stallone has since reflected on the \"terrible price\" he paid for his relentless pursuit of physical perfection, regretting that he would not engage in such extreme measures if he had the chance to start over again.",
  "summary": "For half a century, Sylvester Stallone has been the guy who gets back up. Knock him down. Split his lip. Swell an eye shut. Cue the music. Somehow, Rocky Balboa is back on his feet. It is an image Stallone has spent decades living with — and, as he now reveals, perhaps living up to a little too literally. In a candid interview with The New York Times , Stallone has spoken about what went on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Sylvester Stallone on the fight to make \"Rocky\"",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/sylvester-stallone-on-the-fight-to-make-rocky-10226927",
        "published": "2026-09-27T14:12:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}