Love Island Australia star Tayla Damir has opened up about her harrowing struggle with an eating disorder.
The 25-year-old chronicled her battle in an emotional TikTok video, admitting that “no one truly knew” what she had been going through.
*Content Warning: Contains descriptive information about eating disorders.*
The model, who has struggled with body dysmorphia, wrote: “I was starving myself, training twice a day, comparing my body to everyone else, and fighting demons in my head 24/7.”
She then explained the overwhelming toll that the illness took on her body.
“My hair was falling out, my stomach bloated every time I ate, I was in pain all the time,” she penned.
“I convinced my doctors and naturopaths I had a parasite so they wouldn’t pick up on my body dysmorphia.
“I convinced myself I was intolerant to food but in reality, my body forgot how to function properly.”
The former Islander added that she had spent “thousands of dollars” trying to discover the cause of her health issues, however, she later realised that it was her “mind that needed help.”
Tayla Damir Credits Her Fiancé For Helping Her Recover
In her TikTok, Tayla credited her “angel” – her AFL star fiancé Nathan Broad – for helping her get on track to recovery.
“He made me realise my body needed food to survive,” Tayla captioned a photo of the pair.
“He was patient with me.. educated me… motivated me and changed my mindset.”
She added that once she slowly began to recover, her “confidence increased, hair grew… metabolism kicked in”, and her “quality of life flourished.”
Tayla told her followers that she was now the “best and healthiest version” of herself. She added that she still has days where the “negative thoughts creep in,” but she has a “great psychologist” and processes in place to help herself cope.
“There can be a light at the end of the tunnel,” she captioned the powerful post.
Tayla’s eating disorder awareness TikTok has already been viewed over 388k times.
Watch Tayla’s TikTok Here:
If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs support, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14, both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. You can call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673. You can also speak with someone confidentially at Headspace by calling 1800 650 890 or chat online here.
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