Portia de Rossi On Ellen DeGeneres: She "Reached In And Pulled Me Out" Of My Eating Disorder

Portia De Rossi is opening up in her new memoir, Unbearable Lightness, about her battle with anorexia and bulimia ... and how wife, Ellen DeGeneres, saved her life.

37-year-old De Rossi, who at one point says she dipped down to 82lbs, discusses how she first met DeGeneres, 52, in March 2001:

"I remember being so excited and overjoyed to be around her that i can still recall the feeling of running after her back stage. Ellen has taught me not to care about other people's opinions. Ellen saw a glimpse of my inner being from underneath the flesh and bone, reached in and pulled me out."

Courtesy: Simon and Schuster

Portia, who admits in the book to taking 20 laxatives a day, writes:

"I'd never known a day when my weight wasn't the determining factor for my self esteem. The more effort I put into starving myself, the more satisfaction I would feel."

Unbearable Lightness hits bookstores on November 2.