Lily Allen admits she has 'stopped eating' amid mental health struggles
Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of eating disorders and mental health struggles
English singer-songwriter Lily Allen bared her struggles with her mental health as she revealed that she has "stopped eating" because of it.
During the latest episode of her podcast "Miss Me," Allen opened up about how she has not been doing well when it comes to her health for the past three years now, which has affected her appetite.
"My therapist and I talk about it and she says, ‘How long has this been going on?’ And I said, ‘Well, about three years really.’ And she’s like, ‘OK, why haven’t you mentioned it before?’ It’s not because I’m lying about it. It’s just because it [didn’t] seem at the top of the list of important things that I need to talk about, but obviously it is," she said.
Allen wondered if what she's been experiencing could be attributed to her ADHD diagnosis, explaining that her body and brain are "two very separate things" to her.
"I know a lot of people feel those two things are very connected to each other, but for me, it’s very different. I spend a lot of time in my head, and not a lot of time thinking about my body," she said.
"I’m really not in a great place mentally at the moment, and I’m not eating. I’m not hungry. I obviously am hungry, but my body and brain are so disconnected from each other that the messages of hunger are not going through my body to my brain," she continued.
Allen clarified that she is "not avoiding food," but that she just couldn't bring herself to think about it.
"I’m so in my head. My body’s, like, a few steps behind me," she said.
In a past interview, the music artist shared that she often "forgets" to eat despite her appreciation for food.
"I love food. I love eating, but I’m just not very good at remembering to do things. I get up in the morning and I’m looking after kids and I just forget," she said.
Allen has long been open about her struggles with mental health and body image. She previously revealed that she became addicted to the prescription drug Adderall in 2014 to lose weight before supporting fellow singer Miley Cyrus on tour.
"I got addicted to this drug because it made me invincible and I could work really long hours and be all the people I was required to be," she told DJ Fat Tony on "The Recovery" podcast.
She eventually put a stop to her addiction when she was tempted to try another powerful drug, Heroin, and has since begun a journey of recovery
If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health, you may call the National Mental Health Crisis hotline at 1553 (Luzon-wide, landline toll-free), 0966-351-4518 or 0917-899-USAP (8727) for Globe/TM users, or 0908-639-2672 for Smart users.
