People don't develop eating disorders simply because they want to look like models - and a diet doesn’t just transform into an addiction. Instead, an eating disorder is a form of escape from everything that is wrong in your life. 

Having an eating disorder is like swimming in a lake full of clay. Being in the freezing cold, feeling like there is no way of swimming against the tide or escaping from its evil grasp.

We need to stop using anorexic as an adjective for skinniness and realise that whilst anorexia does manifest through physical symptoms it begins within the mind, and that is where the true battle lies.

If you think a friend or relative might have an eating disorder, it might seem impossible to broach the subject – but ultimately, it might save their life.