REBEL Wilson became emotional during a Virgin Radio interview with Chris Evans as she promoted her new memoir.
The actress, 44, is currently on a publicity tour for the book – titled Rebel Rising – which faced a blow last week when parts were banned in the UK following her allegations about Sacha Baron Cohen.
But Bridesmaids star Rebel appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show today and was praised for helping people struggling with body dysmorphia.
She was left in tears when Chris‘ co-star Vassos Alexander recalled how a friend of his was helped by Rebel’s words about her own body.
He said: “Yesterday I just reached the section where you write a letter to your body.
“I literally within a minute of me reading that page, I get a phone call from a really good friend of mine and I’m one of her confidants, and she’s having issues.
“She’s always had issues with body dysmorphia, and she’s on that first hot day of the year and she’s panicking and I said, look, it will… things will. You know, you will find the bridge off this.
“And I said, can I just read you something that I’ve literally just wrote. Oh. And I read it to her. I read what you wrote. You said, ‘okay, like I love my body, but it’s time. It’s time for a change. I should shut up’.”
Becoming visibly emotional, Rebel replied: “Vassos thank you for saying that because, like, that really is why I… And I know I’m getting emotional, but, that’s why I wrote it, because I know there’s so many people that relate to that kind of stuff.”
In recent years Rebel has overhauled her body and shed five-and-a-half stone.
Rebel’s book was released in the UK last week but the page containing her allegations about Sacha, 52, was covered in thick black redaction marks.
A note on page 216 — which originally included damning claims about Sacha’s conduct on set — says the passage was removed “due to the peculiarities of the law in England and Wales”.
In those pages, Rebel wrote about her negative experiences working with Sacha on the 2016 spy comedy Grimsby, which he also co-wrote and produced.
They played a couple and Rebel accused her co-star of repeatedly asking her to “go naked”.
She also claims Sacha encouraged her to “stick a finger up his ass” to make a scene funnier.
Addressing the redacted lines in Rebel’s book, a spokesperson for Sacha said: “This is a clear victory for Sacha Baron Cohen and confirms what we said from the beginning — that [the allegations are] demonstrably false, in a shameful and failed effort to sell books.”
Yesterday former Towie star Gemma Collins revealed an unlikely friendship with Rebel, as she supported her during the book tour.
Gemma, 43, shared a snap of them together and wrote: “I’m so proud of you Rebel you’re spectacular here’s to reaching higher in life for all with your inspirational book Rebel Rising I’ve got all the respect & love for the journey you’ve been on!”
