A talented member of the Boston Ballet’s main corps de ballet, Heidi Guenther made headlines in 1995 when the then 5’3”, 115-pound dancer was ordered to lose weight by the ballet’s artistic director. With her coveted spot in one of the world’s top ballet companies at risk, Heidi reportedly turned to measures such as skipping meals, binging and purging and laxatives to help her shed weight.
Unfortunately, Heidi’s quest to be thin enough for the competitive world of ballet ended tragically. In 1997, on a trip to Disneyland, Heidi, at the age of 22, suddenly went into cardiac arrest and died shortly after. At the time of her death, she only weighed 93 pounds. Although the results of her autopsy were inconclusive, the coroner’s report stated, “Emotional and dietary factors cannot be completely ruled out as having played some role."
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A talented member of the Boston Ballet’s main corps de ballet, Heidi Guenther made headlines in 1995 when the then 5’3”, 115-pound dancer was ordered to lose weight by the ballet’s artistic director. With her coveted spot in one of the world’s top ballet companies at risk, Heidi reportedly turned to measures such as skipping meals, binging and purging and laxatives to help her shed weight.