Famous Women Who Have Battled Anorexia

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Demi Lovato

At the age of 18, Demi Lovato battled an eating disorder by seeking treatment for anorexia and bulimia in 2011. Speaking to 'People' shortly after leaving the center, she revealed, "There were days where I just wanted to stay in bed all day because I was ashamed of my body," adding, "It's a struggle I'll probably have to deal with for the rest of my life. But I have a lot of life to live, and I don't want to waste it." "My body image awareness started much earlier, but I attribute a bit of my insecurities to being on stage and being judged for my beauty," Lovato said.

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Mary-Kate Olsen

Although Mary-Kate Olsen has not spoken publicly about her eating disorder, her publicist confirmed that she received treatment for anorexia in 2004. Michael Pagnotta, her representative, stated, "It's a challenge that Mary-Kate has decided to take on. It's a challenge that she's going to overcome," according to 'People'. During that time, Mary-Kate's sister, Ashley Olsen, spoke on her behalf, stating that she was taking the time she needed for herself.

Although Mary-Kate Olsen has not spoken publicly about her eating disorder, her publicist confirmed that she received treatment for anorexia in 2004. Michael Pagnotta, her representative, stated, "It's a challenge that Mary-Kate has decided to take on. It's a challenge that she's going to overcome," according to People. During that time, Mary-Kate's sister, Ashley Olsen, spoke on her behalf, stating that she was taking the time she needed for herself.

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Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul struggled with an eating disorder for many years, starting at the young age of 16. She revealed to 'People' in 1995 that her disorder began when she made herself vomit after having dinner with friends, something she believed they did regularly. "Nobody thought it was wrong. Once I tried it, I felt it was an incredible way to control my weight," she said. This led to a cycle of binging and purging, coupled with an unhealthy exercise routine that lasted up to four hours every day.

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Lady Gaga

In 2012, Lady Gaga opened up about her battle with eating disorders at an event, sharing that she used to induce vomiting regularly during high school. She explained, "I wanted to be a skinny little ballerina, but I was a voluptuous little Italian girl whose dad had meatballs on the table every night." At one point, her disorder began to impact her singing voice, ultimately leading her to give it up.

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Kesha

When Kesha was immersed in her eating disorder, she thought that "being hungry to the point of feeling almost faint was a positive thing," she told 'Vogue' in 2015, "The worse it got, the more positive feedback I was getting. Inside I was really unhappy, but outside, people were like, 'Wow you look great''. It wasn't until her therapist helped her realize the severity of her problem that she decided to seek help and entered rehab. There, Kesha learned that food is a wonderful thing and not something to be feared.

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Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff acknowledges that during her teenage years, she struggled with unhealthy eating habits. In a 2015 interview with 'People', she reflected, "I was too skinny. That wasn't a healthy place for me. I felt so unhappy. I remember my hands cramping because I wasn't getting enough nutrients." At the worst point of her eating disorder, when she was 17 years old, she weighed just 98 pounds.

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Ireland Baldwin

Ireland Baldwin, the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, took to Instagram in 2018 to open up about her past struggles with anorexia. Along with an old photo of herself, she wrote the caption "Anorexia throwback." She also shared a photo of her younger self posing in a bikini and wrote, "I struggled with many eating disorders and body issues when I was younger, and it took me a long time to find self-love and acceptance! Trust me, all that pain and destruction I inflicted on myself wasn't worth it." As a model, Baldwin hopes to inspire others to love themselves and their bodies.

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift claimed in her 2020 Netflix documentary 'Miss Americana,' that she battled an eating disorder throughout her successful career. "My relationship with food was exactly the same psychology that I applied to everything else in my life: If I was given a pat on the head, I registered that as good. If I was given a punishment, I registered that as bad," Swift said. This mindset, coupled with public scrutiny, led her to restrict the foods she ate. "I thought that I was supposed to feel like I was going to pass out at the end of a show, or in the middle of it. Now I realize that if you eat, you have energy, you get stronger, you can do all these shows," Swift added.

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Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil, the actress from 'The Good Place', developed anorexia and body dysmorphia at the age of 14 after a class project forced her to weigh herself in front of her entire class. In 2019, Jamil spoke to 'People' about her disorder, saying: "I was very unhappy and I think that contributed to my ability to have an eating disorder for so long, because there was no one to monitor me and I had no one to talk to about my sad and bad feelings, so I had a really hard time as a teenager." In December 2019, she reflected on her disorder and posted a photo of herself at the height of it. "Eating disorders/dysmorphia are pretty crazy," she said. "I miss my teen years/20s." Jamil added that she was able to recover from her disorders with EMDR therapy, a technique where people think about a traumatic event and then use their eyes to follow the movements of the therapist's hand, helping patients reprocess their trauma. Now, she is outspoken about diet culture and the celebrities who promote it and has even created I WEIGH, a community that encourages inclusion and body positivity.

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Lily Collins

Lilly Collins, the daughter of Phil Collins, worked very hard to maintain her health after struggling with an eating disorder for years. In a 2017 interview with 'Shape', she revealed that her disorder involved restricting her food intake, bingeing and purging, as well as using laxatives and diet pills. The actress shared a strong personal connection to her character in the 2017 film 'To the Bone', where she played "Ellen", who, like Collins, also suffered from an eating disorder during her teenage years

Despite the increasing number of body acceptance messages being promoted nowadays, a lot of people still encounter difficulties in establishing a healthy relationship with food. Anorexia, which is a severe and sometimes fatal mental illness characterized by "severe disturbances in eating behaviors," is only one of the many forms this condition takes.

Some celebrities who have spoken about their fight against anorexia

According to medical professionals, having an eating disorder can make eating feel painful and overwhelming, and celebrities are particularly susceptible to this struggle. Here are some famous individuals who have publicly shared their battles with anorexia.