Charli D’Amelio is opening up about her personal experience with an eating disorder.
The TikTok star, 16, revealed her “own struggles with eating disorders” in a lengthy post to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, explaining that she’s “been afraid to share,” but hopes her story helps inspire those who are grappling with body image issues to seek help.
“i’ve always tried to use my voice when it comes to issues surrounding body image, but I’ve never talked about my own struggles with eating disorders,” she began. “it’s so uncomfortable to admit to even your closest friend and family, let alone the world. i’ve been afraid to share that I have an eating disorder, but ultimately i hope that by sharing this i can help someone else.”
“i know disorders are something that so many other people are also battling behind closed doors,” D’Amelio continued.
The dancer went on to apologize to followers if she had ever played a song and “not realizing that those lyrics could have trigged [sic] you,” saying that she had “never intended to cause you harm.”
Charli D’Amelio’s Instagram Story.
Charl D’Amelio/instagram
“for anyone that is struggling with this, i know some days can be worse than others,” she said, sharing a link to the National Eating Disorders Association’s website.
“i need you to know you are not alone. remember it’s ok to reach out and get help,” D’Amelio added. “we all need help sometimes. i love you all and please stay strong.”
D’Amelio previously touched on her struggles with body dysmorphia and “bad eating habits” while discussing cyberbullying earlier this year.
“Some of the most hurtful comments I read about myself online are, ‘She’s fatter than when we got her famous,’ or ‘She’s ugly.’ They don’t like the way my face looks for some reason,” she said in a video to promote Safer Internet Day in February.
Charli D’Amelio.
Charli D’Amelio/Instagram
“A lot about my body shape, my body type, which hits close to home because I struggled a lot with body image, body dysmorphia, bad eating habits. No one really knows that,” she continued. “It hurts for everyone no matter who you are. Getting hundreds of thousands of hate comments per week is a lot to handle.”
At the time, D’Amelio wrote on her Instagram, “I’ve been bullied my whole life. That hasn’t changed this past year. I’m sharing my story because I know many of you have one too.”
“Hate hurts. I have realized over the years that holding in all this hurt causes a lot more damage than reaching out to someone you trust,” she said. “No one can deal with this alone. We all need support.”
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In May, D’Amelio opened up to PEOPLE about dealing with negativity online, saying, “I feel the more I talk about it, the more normalized it is for people to open about their feelings.”
“If I’m talking about it and they know that this bothers me and they are going through a similar thing, maybe at school, just showing people that it’s okay to have feelings,” she said. “It’s okay to not be 100% all the time.”
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.
