18 November 2023 , 18:40
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Angela Scanlon has been a hot topic of conversation since she joined this year's BBC's Strictly Come Dancing line-up. The Irish presenter has been impressing viewers with her memorable dances alongside her professional partner, Carlos Gu.
Even though the telly star has seen immense success over the course of her career, it took a while for the 39-year-old to feel confident in her own skin. Last year she opened up about her health battle, admitting she had been at war with a 15-year eating disorder, which was spurred on with self-doubt and comparisons.
In an interview with Psychologies, she said: "On paper, I had all that I had ever wanted, but there was just a complete disconnect, and I felt huge discomfort in my own skin. People would see me on telly having a fun time, because I knew how to present the version of me I was happy to put out there.
Angela has been a favourite on the Strictly (BBC)"But I found it impossible to enjoy it, because I didn’t know who the hell I really was. And it was incredibly distressing because there was suddenly this stark realisation that the work stuff I’d been putting everything into, wasn’t going to “fix” me after all."
She admitted that her eating disorder started when she was 17, as it became her way of coping with the changes to her body as she developed and 'became a woman'. She was left feeling helpless while her body didn't feel like her own.
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"I didn’t feel ready for adulthood but was confronted with this body that looked like a woman’s. That was the catalyst for it. Even though I presented as an independent young bolshie woman, I was very sensitive and afraid of the big bad world," she continued.
Her eating disorder came in the form of anorexia and bulimia and by the time she was 20 years old, she was merely surviving on periods of black coffee and tinned pineapple. But, for Angela, who is mum to two daughters, it was motherhood that reconnected her to her body.
Angela posted on Instagram with her second baby (angelascanlon/Instagram)She recalled in the interview with Psychologies that it was following the birth of her first baby and having to breastfeed that she realised just what her body was capable of, and understood just how much she had been punishing and abusing her body. Her daughter Ruby also gave her the motivation to be kind to herself.
In the Big Issue's Letter to My Younger Self, Angela wrote: "So I would want my younger self to know they can get over these things and eventually even be grateful for what an eating disorder can teach you about yourself. The sensitivity that means you’re more susceptible to that sort of illness is also a superpower to be protected."
If you're worried about your own or someone else's health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk .