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Lily Collins has opened up about her journey with an eating disorder, describing it as both one of the most daunting and fulfilling experiences she has ever faced.
The 36-year-old actress has openly discussed the challenges she encountered with an eating disorder during her adolescence. She revealed that a future aspiration to start a family was a significant factor that motivated her to seek treatment.
Lily portrayed a character battling anorexia in the Netflix movie “To The Bone.” On Instagram, she candidly shared that her own recovery from an eating disorder remains an ongoing process.
In recognition of Eating Disorder Awareness Month, the “Emily In Paris” star posted on social media, expressing that sharing her personal experiences is immensely worthwhile if it can aid others facing similar struggles.
Accompanying images from “To The Bone,” Lily wrote, “I want to take a moment to acknowledge Eating Disorder Awareness Week, supported by @neda, an organization doing lifesaving work.”
‘As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder – and was able to tell the story of so many others like me through my character in To The Bone – I’ve always advocated for more awareness and understanding surrounding eating disorders so no one has to struggle in silence or shame.’
Lily Collins has revealed that speaking out about her eating disorder has been ‘one of the most terrifying but rewarding experiences of her life’
Lily went on to add: ‘Recovering looks different for everyone and is an ongoing process, but through the help of organisations like @neda and films like To The Bone, I’ve learned to connect with others who share similar experiences and feel less alone.
‘Speaking out and opening up about my history with eating disorders was and is one of the most terrifying but rewarding experiences of my life.
‘If every time I share my story it helps even one person on their recovery journey, it is beyond worth it.’
Lily struggled with an eating disorder as a teenager, revealing in another interview that it was about feeling ‘in control’ while dealing with ‘high school and relationships’.
‘When I was younger, I wanted to reach this image of what I thought perfection was and I equated that with – well, with what you see in the media; you think body shape has a lot to do with being perfect,’ she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2017.
‘Then, as I grew older, I realised that perfection doesn’t exist and my priorities have shifted because I want a family one day.
‘I don’t want these self-imposed issues to affect whether or not I can have kids – because the reality is you can’t have children when you’re ill like that.’
Lily, who played a person suffering from anorexia in the Netflix drama To The Bone that year, also opened up about her recovery from the eating disorder.
The actress has previously detailed her struggles with an eating disorder during her teenage years (pictured in the film To The Bone)
Lily went on to play a woman struggling with anorexia in the Netflix film To The Bone, and in a post on Instagram, shared her own eating disorder recovery is still ‘ongoing’
The Love, Rosie star said she is ‘still in recovery’ and ‘exists’ with her past eating disorder but doesn’t let it ‘control’ her anymore.
The star had also previously shared that her desire to have kids led her to seek help for her eating disorder.
When asked by US Weekly if there was a ‘moment when she realized she needed help’, the actress said: ‘Everyone has a different form of recovery.’
She went on: ‘I never had an “aha” moment. My reason to finally start talking about [my eating disorder] was the moment I realised I wanted a family.
‘I wanted kids. I didn’t want this to be something I bring into that.’
Last year the star announced she’d welcomed a baby daughter named Tove Jane via a surrogate with her filmmaker husband, Charlie McDowell, 42.