{
  "id": 12875458,
  "title": "#SHOWBIZ: From steroids to 14 surgeries: Sylvester Stallone reflects on his darkest regrets",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/showbiz-from-steroids-to-14-surgeries-sylvester-stallone-reflects-on",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T13:00:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/groove/2026/10/1550777/showbiz-steroids-14-surgeries-sylvester-stallone-reflects-his"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Veteran Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, known for his roles in the Rocky and Rambo franchises, has opened up about the dark side of his pursuit of physical perfection. During a recent interview with The New York Times, the action star revealed that his relentless drive to achieve the ideal body for his characters led to a dangerous obsession that included an eating disorder and steroid use. Recalling his extreme body transformation for the role of Rocky in Rocky III, Stallone admitted that his body fat dropped to an alarming 2.6 percent and that he was unable to eat properly due to his obsession with maintaining that condition. He described it as \"literally an obsessive body-worship kind of thing.\"\n\nStallone was equally candid about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, dismissing the notion that such physiques could be built naturally. He stated, \"Nobody does it without additives and drugs, period. I don't care what they say.\" The actor explained that training for six months straight on a diet of yogurt and pudding simply would not produce those results without chemical assistance.\n\nThe toll of decades of harsh diets, steroid use, and intense movie stunts took a heavy physical and emotional toll on Stallone. He revealed that he has undergone nine back operations, two shoulder surgeries, and three neck fusions, jokingly asserting that he is essentially held together with baling wire. Stallone relies on various medications to keep going.\n\nIn a somber reflection ahead of his new memoir, The Steps, Stallone delved into his troubled childhood filled with abuse and neglect. He connected his early painful experiences to his portrayal of John Rambo in the 1982 film First Blood. At the age of 80, the Hollywood legend admitted to carrying a significant burden of regret, noting that he has built a \"castle with thousands of stones made of regrets.\" Stallone expressed deep sorrow for the affection he withheld from others and the harm he caused himself.",
  "summary": "NEW YORK: Veteran Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone reached the pinnacle of physical fitness during his Rocky and Rambo prime and the years that followed, but it came at a devastating cost.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}