‘Designing Women’ Star Delta Burke Opens Up About Using Crystal Meth & Amphetamines To Lose Weight After Being Called ‘Fat’

Delta Burke, celebrated for her role in Designing Women, has candidly shared how societal perceptions of her body took a toll on her mental health and led her to a reliance on drugs. 

In a recent episode of the Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast, the 67-year-old actress delved into the impact of her sitcom fame on her self-image, a topic she previously explored in her 1998 memoir, Delta Style: Eve Wasn’t a Size 6 and Neither Am I.

Burke revealed feeling emotionally vulnerable, mainly due to unsettling interactions with fans. “I thought I was stronger,” she said. “I tried very hard to defend myself against lies and all the ugliness that was there, and I wasn’t gonna win. I’m just an actress. I don’t have any power.”

Burke acknowledged the detrimental effects of the entertainment industry on one’s psyche and confessed that her original aspiration to become a famous and respected actress was far from the reality she encountered. “Hollywood will mess your head up,” she said. “And I had always thought, ‘I want to be a famous actress.’ I thought that meant that you would be a famous and well-respected actress, but that’s not what it meant. And the moment I became famous, it was like, ‘Oh no, no, no. This is not what I had in mind at all. I don’t think I want to be this anymore.’ But then it’s too late.”

The actress disclosed that while she was at drama school in London, she started to take prescribed pills known as “Black Beauties,” unaware that they were illegal in the United States. “Black Beauties” are amphetamines, sometimes prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, they gained popularity as recreational drugs in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s. Although outlawed in 1965, they remained on the market until 1998. “To me, they felt like medicine,” Burke confessed. Eventually, her tolerance grew, which led her down a path of crystal meth use.

At the time, crystal meth was relatively unknown, and Burke resorted to consuming it mixed with cranberry juice before going to work on the set of Filthy Rich from 1982 to 1983. Recalling that period, she revealed enduring extended periods without eating. Despite this, she faced constant criticism about her body. “I wouldn’t eat for five days. And they were still saying, ‘Your butt’s too big. Your legs are too big.’ And I now look back at those pictures and go, ‘I was a freaking goddess.'”

The actress wished for young women to recognize their inherent beauty and power and emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and empowerment. She lamented the societal pressures that often prevent individuals from realizing their worth.

“I wish that I had known, and I wish that every young woman could know she is beautiful,” she said. “She’s got power, and she doesn’t know it because they don’t want her to know it.”

In 2018, ABC announced a sequel to Designing Women, but the series never got off the ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic.