Fearne Cotton reveals secret battle with bulimia.

says she didn't know she had an eating disorder while struggling with bulimia throughout her teens and twenties. 

The TV and radio presenter discussed her past issues around food and the positive impact therapy has had on her adult life in a lengthy Instagram post, shared on the first day of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. 

And Cotton, 44, says she was only able to address her bulimia head on after years spent disregarding the problem. 

'When I was dealing with bulimia in my late teens, and sporadically throughout my twenties, but quite dramatically in my early twenties, I didn't know I had an eating disorder. I didn't know that's what it was,' she told followers on Wednesday morning. 

'It was just something that I did in secret. And I didn't want anyone to know about it,  and I certainly didn't see it as a problem, because that's where my mind had gone to. 

'That was the levels of the eating disorder that I was dealing with, and it wasn't really until my late twenties that I thought I've gotta do something about this, because this is not good, and it's not doing me any good mentally, or physically.

'But I would say over the years therapy has helped me a lot, a hell of a lot, and hearing other people's stories about it, and knowing that it's not something to be ashamed of, it's certainly not something that needs to remain secret.' 

The presenter, who was 15 years old when she landed her first TV job on GMTV, previously revealed her ten year battle with bulimia was triggered by self-loathing and a negative body image after the presenter fooled herself into believing she was 'too broad.'

'I couldn't say the word "bulimia" for years,' she told Instagram followers. 'I didn't identify with it, I couldn't say it, and I was sort of mortified about all of it.

'Now I feel very comfortable talking about it, and probably just through practice feel like it's important to talk about it, because lots of people will be dealing with it now. 

'And also, when you're in it, you feel like it's impossible to break that cycle, whether it's bulimia or anorexia or any other version of an eating disorder. 

'But it's not impossible, and you can heal, and you can recover, and I've heard some incredible stories about other people that have been doing some amazing work.'

The popular TV and radio personality, 41, struggled with bulimia throughout her twenties before managing to overcome the eating disorder following her marriage to musician Jesse Wood and the subsequent birth of her children.

Discussing her battle with the condition in 2023, Cotton said she was urged to raise the issue after reading online debates about the return of 'Heroin Chic' - a term popularised in the early '90s and commonly used to describe fashion models with pale skin and emaciated features.

Taking to Instagram, she wrote: 'Sometimes I think tons of differing voices weighing in on a subject is too noisy but having had a lot of body image issues over the years I feel compelled if only to continue some healthy debate. 

'I was bulimic for ten years which was partly an issue of self loathing and partly a control mechanism.

'I still feel a discomfort in mentioning it, only spurred on by the knowledge that so many are dealing with it now and might feel like they'll never break the cycle.

'My message being...if I can, you can. It is absolutely possible. Go gentle on yourself and know that you can heal.'

If you have been affected by anything in this article, please call Eating Disorders Support on: 01494 793223.