Jelena Dokic reveals her dramatic 20kg weight loss upon arrival at Sydney airport after battling an eating disorder for two decades

Jelena Dokic is back in Melbourne after a hectic week of speaking engagements and media events in Sydney.

The 41-year-old former tennis champion was spotted on Wednesday evening walking through Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal in casual attire after a long day.

She showed off her dramatic 45-pound weight loss in loose-fitting green pants and a long-sleeved white sweater.

She wore her brown hair in a bun, but still wore a full face of makeup after attending important events.

“Two events and keynote presentations tomorrow, two cities, one flight, hotel check-in and three hours in the car,” Jelena captioned a selfie she took during her sunset flight from Sydney to Melbourne.

“And I’ll try to schedule some training,” she added.

“Good luck. Maybe I can train on the plane while I’m flying and do some planks.”

Jelena recently announced that she lost 20 kilos in 10 months, after living with an eating disorder for twenty years.

Jelena Dokic has returned to Melbourne after a hectic week of speaking engagements and media events in Sydney

The popular Nine TV presenter, 41, was spotted walking through Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal in casual attire on Wednesday night after a long day of lecturing

She showed off her dramatic 20kg weight loss in loose-fitting green pants and a long-sleeved white sweater

“I’ve always walked with my head held high, no matter what size I was. We’re imperfectly perfect, but we’re all amazing.”

“Unfortunately in today’s society we are defined by our size,” she continued at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

“Our worth is often calculated by a number on a scale, but those are very, very dangerous standards to set, especially for the younger generation.”

Jelena recently revealed she lost 45 pounds in 10 months after living with an eating disorder for two decades. Pictured left in January 2023 and right in 2024

She said she made small changes over time for “HEALTH and not SIZE.”

To those who accuse her of crash dieting, Jelena explained that she lost weight due to “a family history of diabetes” and the fact that she had recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

The author, who was the cover girl of Australian Women’s Weekly in September, said that while her television popularity has steadily increased since becoming a key member of Nine’s coverage of the Australian Open and international tennis, she also continues to face vicious online attacks and cyberbullying over her weight.

“I’ve been all sizes, from a size 37 to a size 44. For me, it’s been about finding balance and moderation,” Jelena said at the magazine’s first Health Summit in August.

Last month, she posted on Instagram showing off her body transformation, sharing before and after photos of herself taken seven years apart.

In a caption, Jelena emphasized that her weight loss was a result of her focus on her mental health, opening up about her battles with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder.

“This is not about body size, this is about feeling like I’m not good enough to be alive!!! Left, 7 years ago,” she shared.

‘Even though I now have a little less weight on my right side, this is not about weight. Because even if I were half as small on my left side, I would still feel the same. And how is that possible? Not worthy enough to live!!’

She explained that at the time the first photo was taken, she was afraid to leave the house and was “broken” by her battle with depression and PTSD.

“My face, body language, even the clothes on the left side say it all. That’s how low my self-esteem was. I was afraid to leave the house,” she continued.

‘I couldn’t look people in the eye, I just wanted to wear black or dark grey and cover myself up. I remember wanting to somehow cover my face and head completely and maybe not even have to leave the house for the rest of my life.

‘It was fear, depression, the paralyzing effect of trauma, that made me feel worthless and not even worth living.

‘This is a result of being belittled all my life, especially by people close to me.

‘The person on the left was broken, shattered, struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD, BPD, and an eating disorder. Sometimes I wished I wouldn’t wake up, so I wouldn’t have to feel this way anymore.

“But this isn’t about feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for myself. I didn’t want to be a victim. I wanted to survive and thrive and I did.”

Jelena was physically and emotionally abused by her father, tennis coach Damir Dokic, as she rose through the tennis ranks, eventually reaching a career-high ranking of #4.

She has long been open about the pain her father caused her. In her book Unbreakable, she writes that he regularly beat her with a belt or a hard-toed boot, and that he once knocked her unconscious.