Sam Faiers has opened up about her father being jailed, as she revealed her struggle with trichotillomania – a condition which causes her to pick out her eyelashes.
According to the Daily Star, Sam’s stepfather David Chatwood was jailed for 12 years in 2002 – after being caught with 140,000 ecstasy tablets, 130kg of cannabis, two pistols and live ammunition.
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine today, the former TOWIE star said her dad going to prison triggered her eyelash pulling condition – which she has struggled with for 20 years.
She said: “When I was younger, I was really close to my dad Dave and he went to prison and got sentenced for a long time and I took that quite hard.”
“I didn’t understand and a friend came one afternoon and said, ‘If you pull out your eyelashes your wishes will come true.'”
“So I would wish for my dad to come home from prison. I don’t relate it to that anymore, now its just a habit but actually that’s the trigger.”
Sam continued: “So I’ve actually been pulling [my eyelashes out] for 20 years. It’s been a lifetime.”
“I started when I was seven or eight. I’ve done it for my whole life. When I was a teenager I started hypnotherapy and I stopped doing it for a while.”
“I’ve been seeing a mental health awareness life coach and I feel a lot better after a couple of sessions. You have to go back to the trigger and learn to face it.”
“It’s really weird. I do it kind of subconsciously, like when I’m relaxing and in my sleep and that’s why it’s really hard.
“When I met Paul [her husband], he said ‘can’t you stop?’ but I do it in my sleep. He understands now and he’s supporting me and really trying to help me.”
