Octavia Spencer Spanx Story Sounds Painful (VIDEO)

Plenty of celebs have confessed to wearing Spanx, from Joan Collins to Tom Hanks in "man Spanx" (yes, he said he's worn them). But Octavia Spencer has out-Spanxed them all with her intense devotion to the shapewear.

The much-decorated "The Help" star dropped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" this week to chat about her recent awards shows and share a few hilarious anecdotes. Our favorite included her method of "triple-spanking" on the red carpet.

Yes, wearing three pairs of Spanx at once. Unsurprisingly, it's incredibly painful. Octavia told Ellen:

"Oh, Ellen. Let me tell you, I couldn't party that night because I was being pinched in places I didn't know it was possible! And I ran into Melissa McCarthy, who is in "Bridesmaids" and brilliant and one of my closest friends, and I was like, 'Oh my God, Melissa! I'm about to die! My Spanx are killing me!' She said, 'I just went to the bathroom and took mine off.'"

And Melissa McCarthy, after all, is the Spanx expert. Unfortunately, Octavia and so many women squeeze into the darn things because of their sculpting power. As Octavia put it, "It gives you the illusion of an hourglass with the sand kind of spread out."

She also talked to Ellen about that time she went running down the street wearing nothing but a bra, underwear and Uggs. Brave woman, that Octavia.

WATCH:

Comments

[memull]

12:57 PM on 02/02/2012

Spanx or not...she was great in The Help. Hopefully she will take home the Oscar as well.

[LisaDi]

04:51 PM on 02/02/2012

she's so beautifully radiant.

[RosieRetro]

01:25 AM on 02/02/2012

From another Huffington Post article: Skinny Jeans and Spanx Lead to Pain, 'Tight Pants Syndrome' - My Story

"Doctors have recently found that wearing constrictive clothing can lead to various health problems, ranging from yeast infections to blood clots to the newly-named disorder "tight pants syndrome."

"Skinny jeans, the experts say, can pinch a nerve that runs along the thigh and pelvis, causing you to feel a tingling sensation. And if you think that tingles are bad, it gets worse. Because everything is so snug down there, your lady parts won't be able to breathe, letting yeast infections, discharge, itching and even pelvic pain fester."

"But skinnies aren't the only issue. One of the most popular pieces of shapewear, Spanx, has also been cited as a culprit. In one case, a 15-year-old girl who had been complaining about tingling in her thigh for months suffered from overdosing on the Spanx, Consumer Reports Health reported."

"After finding out that her whole soccer team was actually wearing the shapewear under their uniforms, doctors told them to get rid of the Spanx, and they should be back to normal."

[soopershrink]

12:55 AM on 02/02/2012

Who?

[Scobes]

09:37 AM on 02/02/2012

An Oscar-nominated actress. Where have you been?

[Charles Malone]

12:12 AM on 02/02/2012

i am not sure i needed to know this.

[algonquin j calhoun]

11:10 PM on 02/01/2012

should try wearing spanx over her head

[ecurbwl]

08:24 PM on 02/01/2012

With SAG winners like this that wear 3 pair of Spanx, I'll be buying more shares of Spanx stock.

[timant2007]

07:37 PM on 02/01/2012

She might want to up the dosage of spanx.

[pgurlatl]

06:59 PM on 02/01/2012

Lots of women wear spanx regardless of size. If you have saggy skin it just smooths it out. And plenty of thin people have awful saggy skin because of their lack of muscle tone.

[Gladys1963]

10:50 PM on 02/01/2012

Trust me--it's true! I've lost weight and can't exercise like I used to because of my disability. Being skinny and flabby is EWW! So I've succumbed to my first pair of Spanx.

[Bebe Darling]

06:24 PM on 02/01/2012

I naturally have an hourglass figure. I'd hate to have to squeeze into them. I've never put on a pair ever - although, I do spend some time in the gym. That might be why? That and good genes!! Thank You, Jesus!

[ariellindz]

10:19 PM on 02/01/2012

O...kay?

[squiddypie8]

06:07 PM on 02/01/2012

Why does anyone have to wear glorified girdles in the first place? Is NOTHING about these people real anymore??? What was that movie where this dude and chick are about to get it on but she starts takin things off like wigs, and boobs.......then finally towards the end she takes off her fake leg!? Thas what a "star" is these days. They look phenominal because its all stage props aiding them. wtf......

[stimpycat2005]

11:02 PM on 02/01/2012

I believe the movie was "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" by Keenen Ivory Wayans and it's too funny!!

[niceguy71653]

05:25 PM on 02/01/2012

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Asmarina]

07:15 PM on 02/04/2012

you are not a nice guy after all

[niceguy71653]

12:23 PM on 02/05/2012

Don't confuse being nice with being honest. The story is just ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[tangelan]

04:50 PM on 02/01/2012

She's so adorable to me. Good luck at the Oscars.

[SweetCarolineoftheForest]

04:50 PM on 02/01/2012

She'll rethink her Spanx obsession when she bursts a blood vessel from squashing her veins. Just diet and exercise while you're young and healthy, so you don't have to wear Spanx, or accept your body as it is.

[NoOneElse]

04:13 PM on 02/01/2012

Isn't that a bit of overkill? Three are not going to make it much better than 1! Not a good image to portray for us big girls. I am a big girl and I have learned to live with it, dress to work with it and I don't wear 3 pairs of spanx to pretend I am smaller!

[traceymarie]

02:57 PM on 02/01/2012

Just lose weght and exercise. If all these so-called self esteem heros for large women really believed their own lies they would not wear 1 let alone 3 pairs of spanx.

[thejadedentrepreneur]

03:49 PM on 02/01/2012

Even Gwyneth Paltrow has confessed to wearing spanx. I know tons of thin women who do too because it takes what's already good and makes it great.

[traceymarie]

03:57 PM on 02/01/2012

lmao....do you really believe a 3 hundred lb women thinks spanx helps or she is really pleased with her appearence? Thin women who wear them are doing it because a a form fitting dress, hardly under a muumuu

[micheljons]

04:30 PM on 02/01/2012

Uh, she has lost over 25 lbs. Spanx is used to smooth out your clothes. It's the underwear that makes you look good in the clothes. There are some fabrics that need shapewear. As a woman, you should know that. Also, everyone isn't going to be a size 2. The average size Black woman is a 12.

[traceymarie]

04:37 PM on 02/01/2012

I know what it is and she stated she wore 3....lose weight and wear none. She is a 22 not a 12.

[dmfischetti]

08:27 PM on 02/01/2012

A size 0-2 is hardly a woman. It is more like a woman in a childs body. No sexy there.