Actress Lee Yoo Bi has candidly reflected on one of the most difficult periods of her career, revealing how health issues and harsh public criticism affected her while filming her first leading drama. The actress shared her story in a recent video uploaded to her YouTube channel, where she reunited with her longtime stylist over dinner and reminisced about the challenges they had faced together.

During the conversation, Lee Yoo Bi’s stylist became emotional while remembering a difficult chapter in the actress’s life. “You couldn’t work for about two or three years. We cried together, wondering when you’d be able to work again.” The heartfelt exchange prompted Lee Yoo Bi to open up about the struggles she experienced before making her acting comeback.

Lee Yoo Bi explained that she had taken a two-year break due to illness. As she prepared to return to acting, she also suffered a back injury, leaving her physically and mentally drained while filming her first leading role in the fantasy historical drama Scholar Who Walks the Night. “It was my first lead role, and I’d completely lost my confidence.”

She recalled barely remembering the filming process because of her condition. “I don’t even know how I managed to film Scholar Who Walks the Night. I was just going back and forth to the set. I wasn’t in the right state of mind, so how could I have delivered a good performance?”

Lee Yoo Bi also addressed the criticism she received over her appearance during the drama’s broadcast. She revealed that the medication she was taking caused significant swelling. “People said, ‘Why does the female lead look like that?’ But of course my face was swollen. I was taking steroids, and even my hands became this swollen.”

The actress explained that the physical side effects of her treatment became another source of public scrutiny at a time when she was already struggling with her health and confidence.

Although Lee Yoo Bi faced criticism for both her performance and appearance during the drama, her recent comments offered fans a deeper understanding of what she was experiencing behind the scenes.

Her candid recollection highlighted the immense pressure actors often face while balancing demanding filming schedules with serious health challenges—many of which remain unknown to the public until years later.

Sources: Daum | OSEN