Joanne McNally has admitted “I was sick and relied on men to fix me”.
The comedian is known for being transparent about her mental health struggles and her battle with an eating disorder.
Speaking to The Sunday Independent, Joanne described her past self as a “f**k up” who used to look for men to “fix her”.
“I was such a f**k up,” Joanne recalled. “I wanted to prove to people, and myself, that I wasn’t an idiot.”
“I was so sick and all I wanted to be was attractive and I hated myself.”
“I was severely underweight, and always looking to men and relationships to fix me.”
Joanne explained that her relationships would last around three months, and when they fizzled out, it was traumatising experience for her because “it felt like I was no longer worth loving.”
View this post on Instagram
“It’s a dangerous place to be in, which I only realise now as I’ve found myself in a place where I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. And my relationship is thriving because of it,” she said.
Joanne is now in a “healthy” relationship with her boyfriend Alan Byrne.
The pair started dating earlier this year, after they matched on celebrity dating app Raya.
“I love being in a relationship, but I feel like single woman is my brand. I can’t even pull of the word ‘boyfriend’. It feels like I’m wearing my mother’s high heels,” the comedian joked.
Speaking to Ray D’Arcy on RTÉ Radio 1 last month, Joanne revealed how her relationship is different to others she was in before.
“It’s nicer because we’re a bit older so you’ve got your head screwed on a bit more,” she explained.
“You know when you’re young and you’re in the throws of an early relationship and you literally go into lockdown and you don’t see friends or family for a year.”
“At least we’re a bit more sensible. It’s nice. It’s healthy.”
While Joanne is often on the road touring, the Dublin native praised Alan for making the effort to come and see her.
“He has his own life but in fairness he is very good. He does come and meet me different places,” she said. “If we haven’t seen each other in two weeks, we’ll try and do something.”
“I’m going out to Dubai and New York and Australia next year on tour and he’s going to spend some of that [with me].”
“He’s going to come back and forth and try spend some of it with me,” she added.
