And this acne was so bad, it sent me into a severe, severe depression. Like I couldn't leave the house.

I'd wake up in the morning and lie there and touch my face before I got up, just to prepare myself to look in the mirror! "The next stage with that sort of depression is food: too little, or too much. Guess what I did? I mean, I was fat and broken out, I couldn't leave the house and I couldn't pay the rent".

But Salma, 45, was saved from herself by director Alfonso Cuarn - who encouraged her to get help. She explained: "He did not play it down, he did not try to say, 'Oh you look fine'.

He said, 'You can't do this to yourself', and taught me to meditate, relax. I got myself back together".

Now spot-free, the mother-of-one admits she still enjoys eating - so much so that she constantly feels paranoid about what other people will think. She said: "I like to eat.

I'm always on the edge of how much can I eat without looking too - you know. If I eat something salty, it makes me want something sweet.

I eat something sweet, then I want salty. And exercise is not my thing, though I do it".

Salma wishes she had the "discipline" of close friend Demi Moore, and believes it won't be long until the troubled actress - who recently completed a stint in rehab following her split from husband Ashton Kutcher - is back on form. She told Lucky magazine: "You watch, Demi will be back.

She's an inspiration to all women". Tweet (less)