LeAnn Rimes has spent much of this year sparring with her weight critics, be they her own Twitter followers, celebrity gossip sites or even fellow stars.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Thursday, the singer says she feels like a victim of bullies - in this case the media - in the wake of the constant speculation.
"I’ve kind of gotten over it when it comes to myself," she said, criticizing those who mock her because it's insulting to people with real eating disorders.
"These are diseases. Using them as name calling, it’s almost bullying. I feel for people are actually going through these diseases. I’m not one of them."
Asked by Ellen if she's "not anorexic in any way or bulimic at all," Rimes said, "No, I am not but I do feel like the press … they’ve been very irresponsible."
"Calling a lot of people fat or anorexic or bulimic or whatever it may be, it just seems like bullying now," Rimes said, "instead of really taking these diseases seriously that a lot of people are going through."
"That’s good that you got to clear that up," DeGeneres said.
Her husband, Eddie Cibrian, defended Rimes earlier this week, calling his spouse a workout fiend with a very healthy appetite, and the rumors revolving around her body irritate him as "she eats more than I do sometimes!"
[Photo: WENN.com]