Fearne Cotton reveals the reality of living with bulimia

The TV and radio presenter speaks for the first time about her ten-year struggle with an eating disorder on Elizabeth Day's podcast, How to Fail

Words by Navinder Kaur

The TV and radio presenter has been widely praised for speaking about her struggles with depression and anxiety, but has never – until now – revealed she had an eating disorder. As a consequence of finding fame at a relatively young age, Cotton said on the podcast, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, that she felt pressured to maintain a particular appearance and fell victim to imposter syndrome, which led to her developing bulimia.

Cotton, now 38, says she had an unhealthy relationship with her body for ten years, struggling with the disorder during her twenties and describing it as an on/off battle. Cotton also told Day she felt ashamed and worried what people would think of her if she revealed her disorder.

It was only when Cotton was pregnant with her first baby in 2012, with her now husband Jesse Woods, 43, that she admits she tried hard to overcome the disorder. ‘Getting pregnant, I let go of all of it. I ate everything in sight. It just went overnight,’ she says. 'I knew I had to stick to a very practical way of looking at food to sustain my health for myself and my newborn baby.'

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