"I wish I could go back and talk to my younger self sometimes, but I can't."

Roz Purcell has shared an essential post about her experience with disordered eating. The blogger and model apologised to her friends and family for not being around while she was struggling with her mental illness - and the physical toll it was taking on her body. Sharing a photo of herself from before she sought help, Roz said that she was "miserable" during that time. "The girl on the left looked at her body as something that was purely for show," she wrote. "Never once did I think how well my body held all my organs in place or was in anyway grateful for my health. "I resented it, I punished it, binged, threw up, purged, on repeat, while pretending everything was fine. I used to always just think this was me, this was just how I would always be towards my body and food... but thankfully that's just not true." Roz said that she tends to get a lot of messages asking for advice when she posts about eating disorders. She said that a combination of speaking openly about her illness and therapy helped to get her where she is today. "I wasted so many years putting myself down, missing opportunities and worst of all not being me around my friends and family," she said. "I know I was miserable." Roz shared her post to mark the end of Eating Disorder Awareness Week in the hope that it might help at least one person. The influencer said that she hadn't planned on sharing anything, but that highlighting organisations like Bodywhys who are available to help is too important. "I hope this week has brought some awareness and help to those who need it," she said. "I wish I could go back and talk to my younger self sometimes, but I can't and I guess that's why it's good to talk about it now so maybe even one person will go ask for help." If you have been affected by any of the details of this article, you can contact Bodywhys on 1890 200 444 or email alex@bodywhys.ie.