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Lizzo speaks out about body positivity crisis in Time interview – 'I didn't feel sexy'

Lizzo has spoken about her battle to maintain her body positivity this year, in a candid interview.

The 31-year-old was yesterday announced Time’s Entertainer of the Year – “not just for the music she makes, but for what she represents”, according to the publication.

The Grammy-nominated artist is as known for her breakthrough hits such as ‘Truth Hurts’ and ‘Good As Hell’ as she is for promoting body positivity, prominently in a series of semi-clad and nude photos shared on her Instagram account.

READ MORE: Is it offensive to use the word 'fat'?

But she told Time it hasn’t always been straightforward – with a crisis in confidence which began earlier this year.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 06: Lizzo performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2019 Presented by Capital One>> at The Forum on December 06, 2019 in Inglewood, California. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images  for iHeartMedia)
Lizzo performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2019 Presented by Capital One at The Forum on 6 December this year. [Photo: Getty]

From March to … now! I was experiencing a little bit of unhappiness,” she said. “I was not happy with the way I felt to my body. I didn’t feel sexy, and I didn’t know when it was going to end. There were times when I would go onstage and be like, ‘Y’all, I’m not going to lie. I’m not feeling myself.”

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She added: “Sometimes I’d break down and cry. Sometimes the audience would just cheer to make me feel better. I was getting sick a lot. I was like, ‘What the f-ck is going on? I need to fall back in love with my body.’”

In October this year, she spoke about her battle with fat-shaming comments from trolls, admitting in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning that they had taken their toll on her self-confidence.

Yet it would seem Lizzo is finally getting her confidence back. Earlier this month, she wore a dress with a cut-out to reveal thong underwear while attending a Lakers basketball game in the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 08: Singer Lizzo dances during a timeout of a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center on December 08, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
Singer Lizzo pictured wearing a risque cut-out dress bearing her thong underwear at the Staples Center earlier this month. [Photo: Getty]

READ MORE: Plus-size singer Lizzo wants people to stop calling her 'brave' for posing nude

When the risque look faced a backlash on social media, she defended her choice, writing on her Instagram stories: “"Who I am and the essence of me and the things that I choose to do as a grown-a** woman can inspire you to do the same.”