‘AGT’ star Jackie Evancho reveals eating disorder battle
Teenage opera star Jackie Evancho has opened up about her secret struggle with eating disorder anorexia.
The singer, who rose to fame on America’s Got Talent when she was just 10 years old, has gone public with her medical diagnosis, revealing she has also battled body dysmorphia while growing up in the public eye.
“I was diagnosed with anorexia, but I’ve been dealing with it since I was 15,” Jackie told U.S. breakfast show Good Morning America.
Now 18, the musician admits trying to fit in at high school triggered her body image issues.
“I’d just started high school again and I was really self-conscious with my stomach and my face,” she explained. “Having an eating disorder is like having another you inside your head screaming all of the worst things that you could hear about yourself: ‘You’re ugly, you’re fat, you’re stupid, you’re worthless’ – all that stuff. And it’s just every time you look in the mirror, you see something that’s not there.
“With my eating disorder I had body dysmorphia as well so I won’t be able to see what my reflection actually is, because whatever it is in my head, it’s distorting it.”
Jackie decided to address her personal problems in public in a bid to help others facing similar struggles:
“I’m starting to realize that being the perfect role model is also showing that you’re not perfect, because that shows people that they can be just like you, even if you’re not perfect,” she said.
And she reveals the key to her recovery has been honesty: “I guess I’m just a little more vocal about the thoughts that I have, when I have them, or if I’m struggling, I’ll tell my parents, ‘I’m having a hard time, what do I do?’” she added. “That’s key to avoiding, stopping, and recovering from an eating disorder.”
from Canoe http://bit.ly/2Rn2x61
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