In Eating Disorder Awareness Week, one of the main goals is to promote discussion of these mental illnesses and to remove some of the stigma associated with them. Part of that is realizing that eating disorders can and do affect anyone, with these brave celebrities coming forward to share their struggles and help others realize they are not alone.
Demi Lovato
Demi has always been open about her struggles with bulimia since checking into rehab, stating, “I lived fast and I was going to die young and ” I didn’t think I would make it to 21.”
Recalling when it all began, she admitted, “I remember being 3 years old in a diaper and rubbing my hand over my stomach. I remember thinking in my head, “I wonder if one day this will ever be flat?”
Whilst she has become an advocate for recovery now, Demi has always been candid about the fact that the struggle is not over. “Body image, what I’m going to eat next, what I wish I could be eating, what I wish I didn’t eat. It’s just constant. Like I get envious toward people that don’t struggle with an eating disorder just because I feel like my life would be so much easier.”
Troian Bellisario
Thinking back to when the Pretty Little Liars’ star’s battle with anorexia began, she admitted, “I started self-harming when I was a junior. I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school … It was about wanting to please my father and mother and wanting to be perfect to everybody. I just thought if I ever expressed any sadness or anger or anything that’s going on with me, they would disown me. I kept a lot of it bottled up inside, and it turned into self-destructive behaviour.”
In an open letter written last year, she said, ‘There is a part of my brain that defies logic. Even though I have lived in recovery for ten years now, it still finds loads of fun, insidious ways to thwart me to this day. It was a difficult journey finding my way back to health.”
Evanna Lynch
Before she played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies, Evanna already had a link with writer J.K. Rowling: “I told her the books gave me hope, particularly Luna Lovegood. I told her how I looked up to her. She wrote back and was like a counsellor. She told me anorexia is destructive, not creative, and the brave thing was not to succumb to it.”
After making the public admission, Evanna has since become a role model for other young girls; a reputation she thrives off: “”Being someone who makes people feel okay about themselves, being able to make people accept things they went through, accept themselves more, that makes me feel way better about myself than any diet has ever done.”
Kesha
The self-love spreading singer opened up about her eating disorder whilst admitting, “I felt like part of my job was to be as skinny as possible, and to make that happen, I had been abusing my body. I just wasn’t giving it the energy it needed to keep me healthy and strong.” On seeking recovery she said that she “made the decision to practise what I preach. I put my career on hold and sought treatment. I had to learn to treat my body with respect.”
Shawn Johnson
The US Olympic gold medalist revealed the pressures gymnasts face to look perfect not only in their routines but physically, stating, “I was always the very strong, powerful, muscly, bulky gymnast and I felt like people always wanted me to be thinner and lighter and leaner”.
She goes on to say, “I never went to a doctor, talked to a psychologist or was diagnosed as anorexic, but I was definitely obsessive and had very unhealthy habits”, bringing attention to the reality of many who are suffering in silence.
Zayn Malik
Eating disorders are typically associated with women, but the former One Direction singer opened up about his struggles last year, stating, “It was a control thing. Every area of my life was so regimented and controlled it was the one area where I could say, ‘No, I’m not eating that’.”
On the stigma facing men who struggle with similar issues he said, “We’re all human. People are often afraid to admit difficulties, but I don’t believe that there should be a struggle with anything that’s the truth.”
If you or someone you care about is suffering from an eating disorder, please visit one of the links below for more information and to seek help:
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/eating-disorders/
Image Sources
Quote Sources
Demi:
Troian:
http://people.com/bodies/celebrities-who-had-eating-disorders/troian-bellisario
https://www.lennyletter.com/story/troian-bellisario-reveals-mental-health-struggle
Evanna:
https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/213069/Rowling-helped-Lynch-beat-anorexia
Shawn:
http://people.com/bodies/celebrities-who-had-eating-disorders/shawn-johnson
Kesha
http://people.com/bodies/celebrities-who-had-eating-disorders/kesha
Zayn: