I told my parents and they said they had suspicions but thought they'd know if something was wrong. A lot of people didn't know what to say.

Anorexia isn’t the same for everyone, & whilst the majority of patients share negative attitudes towards food, it doesn’t manifest itself in the same ways.

If I could speak to myself at each of the pivotal moments in my illness, starting when my anorexia developed after my 16th birthday, this is what I'd say.

It was a shock to be diagnosed with anorexia at the age of 32. I wasn’t a teenager, I didn’t see myself as skinny, I was still eating.

So I'm visiting the place where, in one respect, it all ended but, in another, where it all began.

My story begins when I was 16 with a motivation to shift a few pounds to look ‘slimmer’ in prom photos. It became a monster of an eating disorder.

I woke up a few years back with a voice in my head, at first, I thought it was my friend but over time it filled me with dread.

If you ran a marathon without any shoes on you certainly wouldn’t win, so don’t punish yourself if you’ve had setbacks because of an eating disorder.

I don't recall booking a flight for two, but there you were, firmly planted into the seat next to me.

There's no such thing as happiness & an eating disorder co-existing together. There's no such thing as satisfied when it comes to an eating disorder.

Having anorexia is a journey and at every step I’ve taken with this illness, my mother has been there.

What people do not seem to realise is that we do not want this either.

5 things never to say to a recovering anorexic. Dr Pooky Knightsmith Hesmondhalgh's post is invaluable for parents, partners, family members &friends.

If this experience has taught me anything, it is that although it is scary to take a leap of faith, to venture into the unknown, it can be so worth it.

I want to raise awareness of this terrible illness and what it does, not just to the sufferers but also to the ones around them.

Anorexia was not a part of my early life. I was a pretty normal teenager, I didn’t really rebel.

It seems strange to write a letter to someone or something that isn’t a physical entity, but at the same time couldn’t be more real to me.

I know it is up to me to destroy you. His fight alone would never win this war. But with him I do not face you alone.

I never wanted to play football at school; I never really wanted to take part in anything like that. I did occasionally partake in table tennis.

I'd suffered with anorexia nervosa and bulimia for a year. Many people have perceptions & stigmas with these words, and don't realise every case is different.