While some celebrities try to stay in denial when it comes to eating disorders, other face the problem head on and get help to move on from unhealthy choices. Discover a few celebrities who had eating disorders, from famous women to a couple of men who struggled with bulimia and anorexia.
Find out how these celebrities fought with eating disorders and managed to get back to a healthy diet, whether they dealt with anorexia or bulimia as teenagers or throughout their adult lives.
Princess Diana
One of the biggest celebrities to deal with eating disorders, Princes Diana suffered from bulimia. The truth was revealed in the “Diana: Her True Story” biography by Andrew Morton and the effects were instant: more and more people admitted to themselves they suffered from bulimia and sought help.
Lady Gaga
One of the major celebrities who had eating disorders, Lady Gaga stopped when she realized bulimia was affecting her voice. “It’s really hard, but… you’ve got to talk to somebody about it. It made my voice bad, so I had to stop. The acid on your vocal cords… it’s very bad,” she explained.
Demi Lovato
“I started compulsively overeating at a very young age. And then I almost stopped eating altogether at the age of 12, after being harassed by kids at school, for being ‘fat’. My eating disorder will continue to affect me for the rest of my life, but I’m proud to say that I got the help I needed, and am now the happiest and healthiest I have ever been!” Demi Lovato told Seventeen magazine.
Victoria Beckham
Even though she’s still skinny, Victoria Beckham was one celebrities who had eating disorders as soon as she came into the spotlight, from starving herself to binge eating. “In the gym, instead of checking my posture or position, I was checking the size of my bottom, or to see if my double chin was getting any smaller,” she explained to the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Nicole Richie
Even though she denied having an eating disorder in 2020, Nicole Richie sought increased her very low weight for a more healthy look. Rumors of anorexia still plague her in 2020, but the mother of two claims she’s healthy despite her skinny appearance.
Katharine McPhee
“American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee is one of the celebrities who had eating disorders who managed to get the help she needed to push her career forward. “I was binging my whole life away for days at a time… So when I got on the show, I said, ‘You know what? I can do well in this competition. Let me give myself a chance and just get a hold of this thing,’” she told People magazine.
Sharon Osbourne
Battling bulimia for over 35 years, Sharon Osbourne admits her relationship with food remains complicated. “If I’m honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be totally free from that. It’s much more under control but food for me will never be easy,” she explained.
Lindsay Lohan
“My arms were disgusting. I had no arms,” Lohan told Vanity Fair. She’s one of the celebrities who had eating disorders at the same time as other issues, including substance abuse. The actress credits Tina Fey and SNL producer Lorne Michaels for helping her admit she had a problem.
Jessica Alba
“A lot of girls have an eating disorder, and I did too. I got obsessed with it. When I went from a girl’s body to a woman’s body with natural fat in places, I freaked out,” Jessica Alba explained.
Mary-Kate Olsen
One of celebrities who had eating disorders, Mary-Kate Olsen claims admitting you have a problem and seeking help is the hardest thing. “I learned at a really young age that if you don’t talk about it, it can drive you insane,” she told Marie Claire.
Russell Brand
Men also suffer from eating disorders and British comedian Russell Brand struggled with the issue as a teen. “I was bulimic when I was 14,” he told the Daily Mail.
Elton John
Another one of the male celebrities who had eating disorders, Elton John fought the condition with the help of Princess Diana. “It was so nice to talk to someone. And she said it was so awkward to run to the toilet after the meal… It helps you feel not so bad about yourself, and it’s a little bit of camaraderie,” the singer told Larry King.
See also:How to Help a Friend with an Eating Disorder