*Trigger warning: This article discusses eating disorders*
So brave to speak out.
Joanne McNally has opened up about her battle with an eating disorder as she suffered from bulimia for around eight years.
The comedian revealed that she lived with bulimia for nearly a decade before she decided to seek help, and spoke candidly about her experience on Spencer Matthews’ podcast Big Fish.
Opening up about how she became “addicted to purging”, she explained how her relationship with food and how it became so severe.
Joanne explained: “I’d given anorexia a try, hadn’t really worked out, and then I remember going like ‘I can just regurgitate it’.
“Then it’s like just one meal, one meal a week then it’s three meals a week then it’s suddenly it’s every meal.
“When I spoke to my therapist I said to her ‘I have an addiction to bingeing’ and she’s like ‘you’re not, you’re addicted to purging’.
“Purging was actually addictive, and then I just got to a point where I can’t have anything in me and then it’s just this constant.”
Joanne went on to explain how it took her years to admit she had a problem and was “embarrassed” of her illness.
She continued: “I was mortified. I was embarrassed. I felt if I admitted that I had a problem, recovery to me just meant getting fat.
“I wanted to find out a way to manage my bulimia without actually having to get rid of it because I did see it as like a handy tool to lose a few pounds.
“It was embarrassing to admit I lost control of myself. And I really had. It took me a long time to admit, but everyone knew. I was the talk of the town – as in my family.”
As it began interfering with her life and every aspect of it, she went on to say: “My mum didn’t want me in the house anymore.
“I was sleeping in my office at work because I was binging and purging in the house and it wasn’t fair on my flatmates.
“My mum wouldn’t let me in her house because I was binging and purging in her house and she couldn’t deal with it.
“So I was sleeping in my office at night. All the staff would leave and I would pretend I was working late and would just stay there binging and purging through the night.”
Thankfully, all is looking up for Joanne and she said she is the “healthiest” she’s ever been and in a much better place.
