Jessica Alba has always felt she is an ugly duckling. In fact, in order to improve her appearance, she once battled an eating disorder.

Alba recently admitted to eating problems, as well as obsessive compulsive behavior, anxiety attacks, and insomnia. She told The Sun that she left school at the early age of 12 because she was miserable and wanted more.

"I stopped going to regular school at seventh grade. I had big dreams. I was focused at a very young age. I hated school. I didn't have any friends."At that point, her eating disorder was already beginning.

"Everyone in my family is overweight. I wanted to be healthier, so I started cooking for myself when I was 12," said Alba, whose problem grew worse during the filming of Dark Angel. She added, "A lot of girls have eating disorders and I did too. I became obsessed with it."

She finally stopped when her weight dropped drastically and she couldn't stop shivering.