The Career of Sasha Pieterse, The Star of Pretty Little Liars

To fans of the teen mystery thriller, Pretty Little Liars, Sasha Pieterse needs no introduction. On the Freefroem series, she portrayed one of the main roles - Alison DiLaurentis throughout the entire 7 year period that the show ran. The show earned her several award nominations a couple of which she won including the 2014 Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Female Breakout Star, as well as 2016's Teen Choice Awards or Choice TV: Scene Stealer. Before PLL, Perterse had gained some level of fame with her role as Buffy Davis in Family Affair. In 2019 she reprised her role as Alison in the short-lived sequel series, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Though acting would forever remain a part of her, Pieterse told People in October 2019 that she would thenceforth spend a lot of time on her lifestyle blog and YouTube channel.

How Old Was Sasha Pieterse When She Began Her Career

Sasha Pieterse was born with artistic genes, thus, she made up her mind on an entertainment career at a very tender age. She was born on the 17th of February 1996 to parents Sean and Zizi Pieterse who are acrobatic dancers and performed internationally. Her parents would often take her along to their shows and Pieterse was exposed to the stage at a young age. Though born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Pieterse relocated with her parents to Las Vegas, in the United States when she was five years old. A year later when she was 6 years old, she began her career in the entertainment industry.

Sasha Pieterse immediately left an impression with her role as Buffy Davis in Family Affair. The following year 2003, Pieterse aged 7 won her first award - a Young Artist Awar for Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama). With such recognition at a very tender age, Pieterse was set to achieve even more. For the next 5 years, the young actress scored but parts in both TV shows and films. She appeared in films like The Air I Breathe and Good Luck Chuck. Sasha Pieterse's next major gig as Pretty Little Lairs. She was 14 years old when the show began airing in 2010. It was also the same year that she had graduated from homeschooling which her parents had resorted to in order to help her have more time for her career.

Meet The Actress' Family

Sasha's Parents and Husband

In addition to her parents, Sasha Pieterse's other family member that is publicly known is her husband Hudson Sheaffer. Pieterse and Sheaffer are childhood friends whose friendship gradually grew into a romatic one. After 6 years of dating, Sheaffer popped the question on December 22, 2015, and on May 27, 2018, the duo got married at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland.

Sheaffer was born on the 8th of September 1989 making him 7 years older than his significant other. Unlike, Pieterse, her husband seems to be more like the behind-the-scenes type of guy, his IMDb page though shows that he has experience working in the art department as well as movie stunts. We stalked his Instagram and it appears that his primary passion is writing. Sasha and her husband have two dogs; Lady and Levi.

What to Know About The PLL Star's Weight Gain

While weight gain could be attributed to a number of factors including lifestyle and diet, a number of people pack on body mass due to situations that are a little over their control like hormonal disorder as a result of a medical condition. Sasha Pieterse belongs to the latter group. Although she prefers healthy eating, hits the gym regularly where she does mostly cardio, spin class and yoga, Sasha couldn't help but wonder what fuelled her weight gain and the fact that she was being body-shamed made it worse. Many even speculated that she was pregnant, but that was not the case. During her appearance on DWTS, the actress revealed that her weight gain was caused by a condition known as Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which research reveals is common in women who are of reproductive age. The symptoms among others include weight gain which was what Sasha was experiencing. She gained 70 pounds in two years but gracefully dropped 37 pounds while starring on the reality dancing competition. On the show, Sasha expressed her displeasure with the way fans handled the situation. She also revealed that the immense support from her family and friends was what helped her to get through the tough period. Sahsa Pertese would later launch a bullying prevention campaign tagged #Choosekindess in order to educate on the subject of bullying.