"He called me 'the house gorilla' and slapped me"
Yuval Maor arrives at mako's "Spill It" just before her first birth and opens up about everything on her heart: the commenters who criticized her appearance, her frustration with her changing body, and her turbulent romantic past.
Three years after starring in a reality show, Yuval Maor (32) is in a completely different place today: happily married to her husband Maayan Dayan (33) and expecting her first child. However, recent times have been unpleasant, and not just because of the hormonal changes she is experiencing. Maor has been receiving harsh comments about her weight gain—a natural process during pregnancy—which has forced her to confront old wounds and a deep body image crisis she hadn't faced since her teenage years.
In the "Spill It" podcast with Lilach Markovitch, Yuval decided to settle scores with a painful chapter of her life. She spoke candidly about the toxic relationship that brought her to rock bottom. "From the day I took the pregnancy test, I have had no hormonal or emotional regulation," she admits.
The Journey to Acceptance
Now in her seventh month, Maor speaks openly about the difficulties: "It's not fun feeling like your vertebrae are falling out, not being able to tie your laces, or having to inject insulin due to gestational diabetes." She emphasizes that pregnancy is a wonderful but often difficult journey. "I always looked at pregnant women and didn't judge them. To me, a pregnant woman isn't 'fat'—she is a woman carrying a human being."
One of the most turbulent moments occurred after a pregnancy photoshoot. Seeing the pictures, Yuval wept, as the physical changes reminded her of teenage insecurities. "I saw the photos and thought, 'I'm like a cow.' My chest grew, undoing the surgery I once had. Suddenly, all the feelings from high school returned, when I used to wear three bras just to flatten my chest."
Lessons from the Past
Reflecting on her previous relationship, Yuval admits she ignored "red flags" out of desperation. "I wanted to prove to everyone I could be in a relationship. He made me feel like a floor rag, forbade me from seeing friends, and even from smoking. It escalated to physical violence. He would call me 'the house gorilla' whenever I turned on the boiler to warm my hands."
Today, Yuval zealously guards her private life with her husband. "My relationship is the most sacred thing I have. I don't want to let background noise in." She emphasizes that this experience taught her to appreciate her current bond, where her husband cares for her on a physiological level, helping her cope with the challenges of late pregnancy.
"Today, for the first time in my life, I look at myself and say, 'Wow, I love what I see, for better or for worse,'" Maor concludes, as she prepares for the most important role of her life—becoming a mother.
