Joanne McNally has opened up about her “very grim” battle with bulimia.
The popular comedian suffered with an eating disorder for about eight years in her 20s before she decided to seek treatment.
Speaking on Spencer Matthews’ podcast Big Fish, the Dublin native revealed how she became “addicted to purging”.
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Joanne explained: “I’d given anorexia a try, hadn’t really worked out, and then I remember going like ‘I can just regurgitate it’.
“Then it’s like just one meal, one meal a week then it’s three meals a week then it’s suddenly it’s every meal.”
“When I spoke to my therapist I said to her ‘I have an addiction to bingeing’ and she’s like ‘you’re not, you’re addicted to purging’.
“Purging was actually addictive, and then I just got to a point where I can’t have anything in me and then it’s just this constant.”
Joanne confessed it took her a long time to admit that she was unwell because she was “embarrassed” of her disorder.
She said: “I was mortified. I was embarrassed. I felt if I admitted that I had a problem, recovery to me just meant getting fat.”
“I wanted to find out a way to manage my bulimia without actually having to get rid of it because I did see it as like a handy tool to lose a few pounds.
“It was embarrassing to admit I lost control of myself. And I really had. It took me a long time to admit, but everyone knew. I was the talk of the town – as in my family.”
Revealing how her eating disorder affected every aspect of her life, the comedian admitted: “My mum didn’t want me in the house anymore.”
“I was sleeping in my office at work because I was binging and purging in the house and it wasn’t fair on my flat mates.”
“My mum wouldn’t let me in her house because I was binging and purging in her house and she couldn’t deal with it.”
“So I was sleeping in my office at night. All the staff would leave and I would pretend I was working late and would just stay there binging and purging through the night.”
“It was very grim,” she added.
Thankfully, the 39-year-old confirmed she’s now in a “really good place”, and the “healthiest” she’s ever been.
You can listen to the full podcast episode here.
If you have been affected by anything in this article, please visit BodyWhys.ie, or else call their helpline 01-2107906.
