Jillian Michaels 'once weighed 175lbs'

Jillian Michaels has revealed that she weighed 175lbs when at her heaviest weight as a teenager.

The Biggest Loser trainer admitted that a troubled upbringing led to overeating and made her severely depressed.

"I was a really disturbed kid," she told Redbook.

"You know how kids have night terrors? Mine were really bad. I thought sharks were coming out of the drain in the bathtub. I couldn't sleep at night, every night, waiting for aliens to come. I'm not kidding you: I. Was. Traumatised. And mum got me into therapy."

Michaels added that her parents' divorce and moving out of her childhood home helped her to break unhealthy cycles in her life.

"I learned a lot being on my own. I grew up. I had to make money. I learned how to make decisions that are right for me," she said.

"Honestly, that's why I'm always with the underdog, because I'm always avenging that underdog part of myself."

She is currently appearing in Losing It on NBC.