X Factor: Kate Thornton presents the final in 2006

Since her days on The X Factor, Kate Thornton has fronted segments on ITV’s breakfast show This Morning and has joined the Loose Women panel. Aside from her career trajectory, the 47-year-old had to face up to her eating disorder.

Speaking to Laura Whitmore’s Castaway podcast, Kate reflected on the moment she had to confront her past eating disorder.

“When I was a teenager, I had quite a tough time in my teens with bullying at school and weight issues,” she explained.

Many years later, Kate made a documentary that made her realise “those two things were really big contributing factors to me developing eating disorders”.

Thanks to her “brilliant GP who did talking therapy” with her, she managed to overcome anorexia.

“Therapy became a lifeline for me,” she said. “It saved me from ultimately living a life under this horrible cloud of body dysmorphia and dysfunctional eating.”

What’s body dysmorphia?
The mental health charity Mind explained body dysmorphia is “an anxiety disorder related to body image”.

It can include “obsessive worries about one or more perceived flaws in your physical appearance” while the flaw can’t be seen by others or appears very slight.

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Intrusive, negative thoughts about specific areas of the body emerge in a person with body dysmorphia.

Common thoughts include thinking certain body parts are “out of proportion”, or are “too big or too small”.

A person with the unhelpful thoughts patterns may consider themselves “disfigured” or “lacking symmetry”.

These thoughts lead to “significant anxiety” and can consume your thoughts for several hours a day.

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A person with body dysmorphia typically develops compulsive behaviours and routines, such as an excessive use of mirrors, to deal with concerns about their appearance.

Closely related to obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphia can cause emotional distress and can have a significant impact on day-to-day life.

The severity of the condition can vary in person to person, and it can vary from day to day.

Body dysmorphia may cause additional issues, such as:

• Feelings of shame, guilt or loneliness
• Isolating yourself to avoid situations that cause you anxiety or discomfort
• Depression or anxiety
• Misuse of alcohol or other drugs
• Feeling you need unnecessary medical procedures, such as cosmetic surgery
• Eating disorders
• Self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts

Body dysmorphia is different from eating disorders, such as anorexia.

Unfortunately, Kate – mum to Ben, 12, with ex partner Darren Emerson – suffered from both.

What’s anorexia?

Anorexia is connected to “very low self-esteem” said Mind, as well as negative self-image and feelings of intense distress.

For people with this type of eating disorder, they may feel:

• Like you can’t think about anything other than food
• Like you want to disappear
• That you have to be perfect
• Like you are never good enough
• Lonely, especially if no one knows about your eating problems
• That by eating you lose the control you feel you need
• That you are hiding things from your family and friends
• That you are fat and your weight loss isn’t enough
• Very frightened of putting on weight
• Angry if someone challenges you
• Tired and disinterested in things
• Depressed or suicidal
• Anxious
• A high or sense of achievement from denying yourself food or over-exercising
• Panicky around meal times

Behavioural symptoms may include the following:

• Reduce your food intake or stop eating altogether
• Count calories of all your food and spend a lot of time thinking about them
• Hide food or secretly throw it away
• Avoid foods that feel dangerous, like those with high amounts of calories or fat
• Read recipe books and cook elaborate meals for people but not eat them yourself
• Use drugs that say they reduce your appetite or speed up your digestion
• Think about losing weight all the time
• Exercise a lot and have strict rules about how much you need to do
• Make rules about food, like listing ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods or only eating
• Things that are a certain colour
• Develop very structured eating times
• Check and weigh your body all the time

Treatment can include talking therapies (akin to what Kate did), medication and online self-help programs.

Kate will be appearing on ITV’s The Chase Celebrity Special, on Saturday, December 19 at 7:20pm.

The broadcaster has also launched a jewellery range called KT x Bibi.

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