Rhea Ripley Reveals Her Weight Loss Is Tied to a Personal Struggle She’s “Handling”

WWE star Rhea Ripley has always sported a fit, toned physique, but throughout 2026, especially during her WrestleMania 42 appearance in April, fans noticed she looked rather slim. Not to suggest she looked unhealthy in any way, but comparing before-and-after photos over just a few months, the change is evident. And considering the industry she’s in, it’s not unusual for fans to point out when a person experiences a major change in appearance.

So what gives? What’s the reason for Rhea’s weight loss? Is she intentionally shedding weight, or is there more to the story? Well, she actually addressed it herself after a fitness influencer dedicated an Instagram video to her weight loss, and the reason has only garnered her more attention. Here’s what the WWE wrestler said.

Rhea Ripley is crediting her weight loss to an eating disorder. In an Instagram video shared by fitness influencer @_revivalfitness, captioned “What happened to Rhea?” he points to a source claiming her physical transformation may be linked to “back pain caused by muscle mass.”

He then attempts to explain that muscle mass doesn’t directly cause back pain, but adds that “the training she did was exacerbating the back pain … that could cause it.” He goes on to suggest that she may have reduced her training, which would directly affect her muscle mass and impact her physique over time.

He then calls attention to the comments section, where people are crediting her weight reduction to a lack of steroid use. At this point, though, that is sheer speculation on the fans’ part because Rhea has never confirmed she has taken steroids. But given her line of work and stacked physique, it’s not uncommon for people to credit her muscle mass to steroid use, just like people often do when they see a woman with more muscle than they think can be built naturally.

While he does say she still has a lot of muscle mass in her arms and back, by the time WrestleMania 42 rolled around on April 19, 2026, Rhea looked even slimmer. While that didn’t deter her from defeating Jade Cargill and winning the WWE Women’s Championship, it did spark even more conversation around her weight loss and led to her even commenting on the fitness influencer’s video.

A few days before appearing at WrestleMania 42 on April 19, 2026, Rhea took to the comments of @_revivalfitness’s video to address the speculation around her weight loss. “Just a little eating disorder that I’m actively trying to handle,” Rhea wrote, along with a hand emoji throwing up a peace sign.

While some were surprised that she even took the time to respond to a comment from someone less known in the fitness world, many praised her for being open and transparent with fans. “Thank you for being confident enough to share that, and a voice for others maybe going through the same,” one person wrote, while another added, “thank you for the honesty.”

A lot of others also showed support and love for the WWE wrestler, encouraging her to keep going and stay strong. Meanwhile, some took the opportunity to point out that Rhea doesn’t look unhealthy; she’s just slimmed down, and there’s nothing wrong with that either.