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Carol Alt was quietly battling debilitating health problems that left her so tired and weak that the model was convinced she was “going to die.”
Alt, one of the most recognizable faces of the 1980s, made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in 1981 and landed the cover a year later. He was featured in the store six times between 1981 and 1989. Despite landing the pages of many magazines, including Vogue, the star faced many physical challenges.
“I’ve had issues my whole life,” Alt told Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and friend Kim Alexis, host of the “Timeless” podcast. “I had allergies when I was young. My stomach exploded and I coughed. Everything made me cough.”
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY SHARES HER TOP BEAUTY TIP AND SECRET TO FITNESS IN THE 70s.
Carol Alt was interviewed by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Kim Alexis on the “Unexpired” podcast. (Arnold Jerocki/WireImage,)
“…I kept praying,” he later recalled. “I said I didn’t feel good. I was doing work. I didn’t look good. I literally skipped work, and it had my name on it. … Everybody was looking better than me. Everybody was feeling better than me, working better than me. And I came back to LA really depressed, and I just started praying. I was like, ‘Something’s going on. Let me know what it is. Whatever, whatever you want me to do, tell me.’
Carol Alt attends the premiere of “Paper Empire” on Feb. 25, 2025, London. (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for MIP London)
At the height of her modeling career, Alt was running on nothing. He often lived with malnutrition and restrictive eating habits. The constant fatigue he felt never went away; it got stronger over time.
He also suffered from frequent headaches and sinus problems that left him exhausted. With little sleep during his long journey, he fueled himself with coffee, sugar and processed foods, which left him with digestive problems.
It was his friend Steve Cantor who suggested that Alt see Dr. Timothy Brantley, whom he described as a big proponent of raw food.
WATCH: SI SWIMSUIT MODEL CAROL ALT SAYS CHRISTIE BRINKLEY WAS INSPIRED BY HER NIGHTMARE LOOK.
A raw diet focuses on foods that are not cooked and processed, or only burned at relatively low temperatures. Proponents argue that cooking can destroy certain nutrients and natural enzymes found in food. Proponents say the diet can boost energy, improve digestion and promote overall health.
Health professionals generally note that dietary needs vary from person to person and that no single diet plan works for everyone.
American model and actress Carol Alt in New York City, circa 1988. (B Bennett/Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
“I rolled my eyes,” Alt told Alexis. “I pretended to take down his number, then I hung up… A little voice inside me says, ‘You’ve tried everything. You’ve been asking for help, now you’re throwing it away.’ Fortunately, it was a really easy number to remember. So I called.”
Kim Alexis and Carol Alt attend the premiere of “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” at the Paley Center for Media in New York City on July 17, 2012. (Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)
When Alt told Brantley about his diet, he laughed, he said.
“I couldn’t get along with the Irish, whatever they put in Irish rye or barley, whatever it was,” Alt said. “I couldn’t get along with it. So I went to Scotch. But people have to remember that we were always on the go. We didn’t know what time zone we were in.
Carol Alt at Club USA in New York City, circa 1993. (Steve Eichner/WireImage)
“I used to get up early on my days off, drink Scotch coffee and whipped cream,” Alt said. “And when I was working, believe it or not, I would have a pizza and a cappuccino. That would be my breakfast. It was Italy. In France, I would have a cappuccino and a coffee. And the doctor was like, ‘It’s the same thing, sugar and caffeine.’
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Carol Alt appears in a scene from the 1994 television series “Thunder in Paradise.” (Buena Vista Television/Everett Collection)
“… I really had to dig myself out of a really big hole because, first of all, I was addicted to coffee,” he shared. “Secondly, I wanted my Scotch in the morning. I loved my cream. I had to get back on track and completely switch from this path to that path. Timothy turned me on to it. When I started with Timothy, I couldn’t even go without eating every few hours.”
In 1996, at the age of 35, Alt completely changed his diet. He never looked back. Alt said the changes didn’t happen overnight, but she eventually saw a significant improvement in her energy levels and overall health. The actor said that he no longer feels tired all the time and started to feel stronger and able to keep up with the demands of his job.
Carol Alt walks the runway in a white one-piece swimsuit during the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Show during Miami Swim Week at the W Hotel Miami Beach on July 7, 2023. (John Parra/Getty Images)
Brantley encouraged Alt to eliminate highly processed foods and focus on whole fruits, vegetables and other lightly processed ingredients.
“There was no question,” he told Alexis. “For me, there was no going back. And believe me, I’ve sat in dinners with kidney doctors who were taking me for granted because I was a stupid model. But hey, you know what? I rebuilt my body. I was on the brink of death, and I’m back. So you can’t knock me off my pedestal. I’m going to be ocream this time. Mountaintops.”
Carol Alt takes a photo in the 1980s. (Everett Collection)
“… I remember my father dying, saying to me, ‘You know, Carol Ann, I should have known something was wrong when I didn’t want to go to work,'” she reflected. “And here I was hiding. I’m like, ‘Something’s wrong. Whatever it is, [God]he gave me a celebrity. I know I can use it for good. Please let me know.'”
Over the years, Alt has written several books on how natural, unprocessed foods can be used to improve overall health, energy levels and aging.
Carol Alt made her SI Swimsuit debut in 1981. (Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)
“… I think it was more than just trying to get people to understand that processed foods have so many chemicals, so many preservatives, so many hidden fats, processed oils and really bad stuff. You could have the same stuff, that tastes just as good and is satisfying in a healthy way.”
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Carol Alt attends the Miami Swim Week 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Show at the W Hotel in Miami Beach on July 7, 2023. (Manny Hernandez/Wireimage)
When asked how he hopes to be remembered, Alt didn’t hesitate, saying, “That I was an inspiration and helped people live a better life, eat better and live better.”
“If you eat better, you feel better,” she said. “When you feel better, you’re nicer to people. That’s really what it’s all about for me. … I really want people to be happy, and it’s so hard to be happy these days. That’s unless you’re at peace with yourself. I find a lot of people just aren’t. … We’re not all perfect. We can’t all do what other people do, but look at what’s fun and joy in your world. The whole world will conspire to get you used.”
Carol Alt became one of the most popular supermodels of the 1980s, earning the nickname “The Face” and appearing on over 500 magazine covers during her career. (Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)
In 2023, Alt told Fox News Digital that she would have done things differently as a model.
WATCH: ’80S SUPERMODEL CAROL ALT ON AGING, HOW NOT TO LOOK ‘LIKE AN OLD CAR’
“I wish I was 18, 19 years old and someone said to me, ‘You have to eat your vegetables raw,'” he said at the time.
“I suffered in my modeling career because I was always tired, malnourished, I was always trying to lose weight, not eating, and when I did eat, I ate junk because I didn’t really know what to eat,” she continued.
Carol Alt is seen here in Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy, on July 24, 2020. (Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images)
“I didn’t know what to eat in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, how much, and what would keep my energy going, and there were many times when I suffered,” commented Alt.
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Model Carol Alt attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 50th Anniversary Party at the Swimsuit Beach House in New York City on Feb. 18, 2014. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
Alt said that if she had changed the way she ate before, her modeling career would have been very different.
“I didn’t have the strength to stay cool anymore,” she said.
