Presenter Fearne Cotton has opened up about her decade-long battle with bulimia and how it “ruled everything” in her 20s.
The TV and radio star, 38, said the eating disorder was “intense” but, at the time, “felt like a release”.
During a chat on the podcast How To Fail, the former Celebrity Juice host explained: “It felt like a release, like every worry, every problem, thought, was just gone. It was like a little bit of euphoria afterwards.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4hBVitgiyf/
Read more: Fearne Cotton shares rare snap of teenage stepdaughter on her birthday
“Of course, it wasn’t. I want to be very clear about that.
“It took quite a while, physically, to kind of move on from that. But mentally, a very long time.”
She explained how the condition was brought on by impostor syndrome, during her time as a Radio 1 DJ and presenter on Top of the Pops, as she never felt “smart enough” or “good enough” at her job.
Fearne explained that the main way her stress manifested itself was as “a disordered relationship with my body and food for 10 years”.
She continued: “It’s been this weird secret I’ve felt a little bit embarrassed of, a little bit ashamed of, a little bit worried about.
It took quite a while, physically, to kind of move on.
“I’m still worried now about what people are going to think when I share this side of myself.”
Speaking further, Fearne said she’s since been “very studious” when it comes to food and her eating habits, as well as how she cooks and talks about food.
Now, she told host Elizabeth Day, she feels “really good and recovered”.
Read more: Fearne Cotton stuns fans as she shows off dramatic hair transformation
Fearne has previously spoken about her struggles with poor mental health.
During an appearance on Lorraine earlier this year, the DJ and podcaster elaborated on her experiences with anxiety.
She told host Lorraine Kelly: “I still get [panic attacks] all the time. That’s still something I’m trying to combat and find help for. But what I’ve learned from talking about these subjects is that so many people are going through it and so many people want to have that connection with somebody else who has also experienced it.”
What do you think of Fearne’s story? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.