Tara Reid is opening up about how her life has changed since her short-lived time on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
“I think that a lot of fans have been much nicer,” the American Pie star, 47, said to TMZ on Thursday, October 12. “Sometimes I read what some of the quotes are from fans and it makes me cry because it’s been so kind and nice.”
As for what the praise from fans has been, Reid said she’s received words such as, “You did so good,” “Just keep up the strength” and “You did the best you can and don’t give up on yourself.”
“So a lot of people came out, and it feels really good to feel that love,” she said.
The Josie and the Pussycats star removed herself from the Fox competition show on the second day of training, but she had only positive things to share about her experience.
“I did enjoy the show,” she said. “I enjoyed the cast and everything about it. It made me a tougher person, and it really was a great show to be on.”
Reid, who said she proved to herself she had “a lot more inner strength” than she thought, also added that she would consider rejoining the show if she had more time to prepare for it.
“I only got the show three days before we did it,” she explained. “So a lot of people had, like, six months to work on it, and I had three.”
During the show’s season 2 premiere, Reid’s journey was already off to a rocky start. The Ghosts alum attempted to sneak in a pack of cigarettes after the group’s first task — and was reprimanded for it. She handed over two packs of cigarettes, but Reid was surprised to find a third in her pocket, claiming she “didn’t know it was in there.”
Reid also compared herself to a “broken bird” and added that she wants to “have thicker skin and not let people bother me so much.”
“I get bullied a lot and stuff, and I just wanted to make myself a stronger person, and I thought this could help. Everyone says, ‘She got so old looking, she looks bad, she looks like s—t.’ And just this s—t that goes on social media and stuff like that,” she said.
Reid has been candid about her struggles with addiction through the years. In 2008, Reid went to rehab and completed a 60-day program.
“I didn’t like the person I was. I was sad and conflicted,” she said to In Touch in 2014. “I went there by myself. I put myself there. It was the greatest decision I ever made. Rehab saved my life.”
