Miley Cyrus says she developed body dysmorphia and anxiety while playing Hannah Montana

Despite making millions of dollars and becoming a household name, Miley Cyrus doesn’t look back fondly on her years playing Disney superstar Hannah Montana. In the September issue of Marie Claire, Miley is opening up about what it was like to play the teenage pop star and the pressure it caused off-screen.

“From the time I was 11, it was, ‘You’re a pop star! That means you have to be blonde, and you have to have long hair, and you have to put on some glittery tight thing.’ Meanwhile, I’m this fragile little girl playing a 16-year-old in a wig and a ton of makeup. It was like Toddlers and Tiaras.”

Miley claims being forced to act like someone she wasn’t caused her to self-image suffer. She admits, “I was made to look like someone that I wasn’t, which probably caused some body dysmorphia because I had been made pretty every day for so long, and then when I wasn’t on that show, it was like, Who the f**k am I?”

I get what Miley’s saying but isn’t that what being an actor is all about?

The article also goes on to reveal that Miley worked long hours on set, was pumped full of caffeine to stay alert, and used light therapy in order to combat seasonal affective disorder. The culmination of these factors eventually led Miley to develop an anxiety disorder.

“I would have anxiety attacks. I’d get hot flashes, feel like I was about to pass up or throw up. It would happen a lot before shows, and I’d have to cancel,” Miley recalled. “Then the anxiety started coming from anxiety. I would be with my friends, thinking, I should be having so much fun. You get in this hole that seems like you’re never going to be able to get out of.”

After years of pretending to be Hannah Montana, one thing is clear: Miley has officially shed the squeaky-clean, Disney image.

And don’t think for a minute Miley underestimates her unique style. The 22-year-old admits her personal style isn’t the mainstream norm.

During the interview she confessed, “I’m probably never going to be the face of a traditional beauty company unless they want a weed-smoking, liberal-ass freak. But my dream was never to sell lip gloss. My dream is to save the world.”

If you want to read more of Miley’s interview, be sure to check out the September issue of Marie Claire.

PHOTOS: WENN