Featured Image Credit: Savion Washington/WireImage
Topics: Celebrity, US News, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Celebrity, US News, TV And Film
Warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders which some readers may find distressing.
Eliza Coupe is taking no prisoners when it comes to online trolling.
In the days after the American actress was branded 'unrecognisable' following a recent red carpet appearance, she has hit back at critics while encouraging her fans to 'remember who [they] are'.
Coupe, 43, is best known for having played Denise 'Jo' Mahoney in medical comedy Scrubs alongside the likes of Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, and Ken Jenkins.
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In the years after the Emmy-winning show came to its conclusion, the New Hampshire actress was also cast as Jane Kerkovich-Williams in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings, and as Tiger on the Hulu comedy series Future Man.
More recently, Couple landed a role in the CBS legal drama So Help Me Todd.
Lately, she's been promoting her new Netflix series The Residence, a thriller focusing on the fictional murder scandal involving a White House state dinner.
Earlier this month (19 Mar), she appeared on the red carpet of the show's premiere, donning a gold plunging dress which she paired with a fur jacket - however, the star inadvertently sparked concern over her image by debuting the look.
Taking to social media, Coupe's fans began questioning her health, with many drawing attention to the actress' smaller appearance.
More severe online trolls slammed the actress - who is married to professional skateboarder Billy Marks - as 'unrecognisable'.
Responding to the criticism, Coupe took to Instagram over the weekend, where she shared a video compilation of recent selfies and a particularly damning caption.
"Pictures from my camera roll from the past three weeks," she wrote, alongside a number of hashtags.
"#thisishwhatireallylooklike," the television star continued. "#truth #haterscanhate #ichooselove #rememberwhoyouare #transmute #elevate #rise #and #shine #love."
A number of fans of Coupe subsequently rushed to her defence, seemingly saddened that the actress felt compelled to release such a statement.
One gushed in the comments: "You CRUSHED it in the residence. Obsessed with your ability to steal a scene. Press coverage is so ridiculous, go figure they try to drag a woman down rather than build her up."
Another went on: "Gorgeous inside and out! Talent, beauty, and you're freaking hilarious! Keep doing you boo."
The update comes just weeks after Couple told The Funny Thing Is podcast listeners that she'd recently endured a battle with body image.
"I was so broken, I couldn't get fixed enough for the relationship because I had damaged it with my own s***," she explained.
"Some may call it an eating disorder, I just call it my life. My drug of choice was always food. The reason I stopped drinking was because I got into a 12-step food program."
Adding that she remained in the program for a number of years, she said it changed her relationship with food.
"I am grateful for all the tools I learned from it,” she said. “I would over-exercise, and there was a sprinkle of bulimia in there."