Gina Rodriguez says being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder was a "blessing".
Gina Rodriguez
The 'Jane The Virgin' star has been very open about her battle with Hashimoto's Disease and says she is proud to be raising awareness of living with the disease.
She said: "If I can at least walk for 20 minutes a day, it's extremely helpful for my thyroid gland. Running, boxing, jump rope and hitting the heavy bag are my workout constants.
"It's always been a battle for me with weight. Keeping weight off is very difficult because my metabolism is pretty much shot, which to me felt like a curse when I was 19. As an actress, I would say, 'Seriously? In a world that's so vain, I have to deal with the disease that makes you not keep weight off?' But it actually became a blessing because then I got to represent not only women and Latinas but also women who are dealing with this disease. I'm gluten-free, which is the most difficult thing in the world because, like Oprah, I love bread!"
The 32-year-old actress is a huge fan of boxing and was regularly joined at work out sessions by her 'Deepwater Horizon' co-star Mark Wahlberg.
She added to Health magazine: "I obviously like to box, and I grew up in a boxing family, but I didn't know [director] Peter [Berg] was so into boxing.
"I ended up boxing every day. I got so strong that summer, it was unreal. Mark Wahlberg would come when he could. Peter and I would box each other in the ring. I adore him. He's cracked me across the face, and I've cracked him across the face. It's really not as painful as you would think. We don't break that easily."
Tagged in Mark Wahlberg Gina Rodriguez