At the start of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Annabel Norris from Gildersome has told us she nearly died after bullying drove her to anorexia.
At the age of 16, her weight dropped to less than five stone when she developed the eating disorder after being taunted for her ginger hair and her weight.
"I kept getting called 'fat' even though I was only about eight and a half stone and a size ten," she told us."I felt like I needed to change and the only thing I could control was what I ate. I cut myself off from everybody, slowly started to cut down on eating. I started to lose weight and it sounds weird but I liked the fact that I was achieving something. And I was in control.
"I cut down to about 500 calories a day. I was constantly exercising - I did four fitness DVDs a day and over 3000 sit ups. I was barely eating - less than an apple a day. I struggled to get out of bed but the drive was in my head that I still had to exercise."Annabel was diagnosed with anorexia and spent four months having in-patient treatment. She was allowed home when her weight reached 8st 10lbs, but the bullying started again and she ended up back in hospital, weighing 5st 10lbs.
After another spell of treatment she returned home and moved schools, but the stress of exams brought the anorexia back.
Aged 16, her weight dropped to under five stone and she was rushed to hospital. Doctors told Annabel her heart muscle had wasted and if she’d waited a day longer for treatment, she would have died.
Following three months of treatment she gradually began to recover.
Now aged 20, Annabel's trained as a hairdresser and is preparing to do a skydive to raise money for the eating disorder support charity B-eat.
She said: "At first I felt like I was failing for letting the weight come back on. But now I realise that I'm actually managing to fight back an illness that's really hard and can kill you.
"It is hard to admit it, but when you realise yourself that you've got a problem and you want to get better, that's when you can do it. If you keep denying it, it's really hard."
B-eat is campaigning to break down the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding these serious psychiatric conditions.
"We all need to break the silence about eating disorders so that sufferers come forward, loved ones can approach those they are concerned about, and everyone is aware of the illnesses" said the charity."The more people talk about eating disorders in an understanding way, the more those affected will feel they can reach out for support."
Beat’s call to action is to get people to speak up about eating disorders: "No-one should face an eating disorder on their own. Break the silence and talk about eating disorders at school, at home, in the workplace."
For more information check out the Beat website here
Annabel’s skydive is on April 21st. You can make a donation here
http://www.magic828.co.uk/news/local/eating-disorders-anorexia/
