Harry Derbidge shares his body story: 'I could go a day without eating'
FORMER TOWIE STAR HARRY DERBIDGE ADMITS: 'I WAS SKIN AND BONES' AS HE TELLS US HIS BODY STORY
Reality star Harry Derbidge reveals his weight plummeted to just seven stone after a battle with a food phobia as a child.
The 23-year-old revealed he could go 'a day' without eating in his first TV interview since opening up about his eating disorder in an Instagram post last week.
Thankfully Harry - who is now just over 11 stone - admits he now feels happier and healthier than ever before after gaining weight.
He says: 'I was a diagnosed with a food phobia and the phobia was not knowing what something would taste like. I could go a day without eating.'
Harry continued: 'I also wouldn't have certain foods touching on a plate. There was a bit of OCD there as well. I was 16 when I started on TOWIE and I thought that's just how I looked. Whenever people approached me in the street for a photo I used to overhear people say "oh that boy needs a hamburger." I was really skinny.'
Recalling the turning point, he said: 'At 20/21 I wanted to start taking pictures of my body to put on social media but I thought I was skin and bone. I realised I was never going to be a pumped-up Peter Andre type. But I asked my friend who worked in photoshop to do me a favour and put my face on Tom Daley's body.
'I had that picture as my wallpaper on my phone for a year and thought I am going to look like that one day. I used to say that to myself every morning and I had to force feed myself. Where I hadn't eaten for so long I used to have two mouthfuls and be full.'
Reflecting on how he trained his body to eat again, he said: 'I used to put my alarm on every morning at 6am and have breakfast and I remember one day getting to 11am and feeling a bit peckish. My stomach was getting bigger. Now I can't stop eating! I've learnt to really enjoy food'
Good for you, Harry!