Jade Thirlwall‘s life hasn’t always been easy.The Little Mix member opens up about her struggles with anorexia in the band’s new book Our World. Jade, 23, details her battle with the eating disorder, which started when she was just 13 years old. Dealing with bullies and a death in the family, Jade lost a dramatic amount of weight and had to be hospitalized.
«My periods stopped and things were getting out of control but I don’t think I really cared about what was happening to me,» she admits. «I felt so depressed at the time that I just wanted to waste away and disappear.»
Unfortunately, no matter how much people tried to help the budding starlet, she wouldn’t accept it. «Anorexia is a self-destructive thing and you become stubborn, so when people are trying to tell you something you get it into your head that they’re against you and you’re not going to listen,» she explains.It wasn’t until she checked into the hospital that she realized anorexia «wasn’t a game, it was something really serious.»
«They sat me down in the clinic and were quite tough at first, spelling it out, ‘You’re destroying your body and if you keep doing this you will die.'»
But weekly visits to the hospital and therapy have helped Jade regain her health. She also says finishing school and joining Little Mix have gotten her back on track, too.
Our World also features candid confessions from Little Mix member Perrie Edwards, who opens up about her former engagement to Zayn Malik.Fortunately, she had her girls by her side who helped her get through the whole ordeal, including the breakup in general. «The girls were amazing. We’d have sleepovers and they’d get my favorite desserts and do everything could to cheer me up,» reads an excerpt from Perrie.
«I surrounded myself with friends and family…I didn’t want to be alone because when I was I’d start to think about things and get upset. It should have been a really happy time—my career was successful, ‘Black Magic’ was doing well, and we were traveling and performing. On the surface I was happy, but inside I felt broken.»
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
