Craig Revel Horwood, 54, who’s been a judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2004, suffered from an eating disorder for more than two decades. Bullied at school for his physical appearance, the star’s body image became warped and he revealed it could have killed him.
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In a piece for Mail Online, Craig said: “The cruel taunt of my classmates of ‘Run fat boy, run’ was echoing in my ears as my PE teacher forced me to take off my sports top and run around the track, my flabby stomach jiggling as I bounced up and down.
“I was out of breath and close to tears. It was the final insult, the humiliation that pushed me over the edge after years of torment – and I was only 13.
“Until then I’d managed to brush off the name-calling and be the happy fat kid. But on that day I felt exposed, like a performing seal on display in the circus, goaded for the amusement of others. I felt worthless.
“My crime? I’d won a colouring competition and eaten the entire giant Easter egg prize in one go, so I returned after the holidays chubbier.”
Whole Craig is now 6ft 2in, he described himself as short and fat.
Alongside the bullying at school he felt “alone and isolated” at home growing up in a household with four siblings and a “shotgun-waving alcoholic father”.
He divulged: “As a youngster, food became my comfort blanket, my misplaced security, and I’d gorge myself on anything I could get my hands on, including the leftovers of the fat-laden fry-ups my father would make in a haze after a bender.”
Craig hated physical activity, but desperate to find a solution to his weight problem, a friend introduced him to dance classes.
The dancer explained: “I found the only way to stop being treated like a freak was to entertain my tormentors.
“I began to enjoy myself and dancing became my salvation.
“But it also condemned me to a lifelong struggle with anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
“This is a psychological disorder where the sufferer becomes preoccupied about a perceived fault in their appearance.”
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In his first year of saying ballet, Craig shot up from 5ft 7in to 6ft 2in and lose every inch fat. But he still saw the fat in the mirror.
Craig told how he went four years surviving on lettuce alone, but how after a show he’d gorge on a roast, or pizza and burgers.
His unhealthy eating habits wrecked his metabolism and caused his skin to become sallow. He also suffered from mood swings.
Craig believes 1997 was the year that saved his life. Switching his efforts to learning to accepting himself put him on the path to recovery.
While he admitted to still binging and being obsessed with his scales, he added: “It has not been easy undoing 25 years of warped thinking and it is an ongoing battle. I’d like to think I’m better. But ask me how much weight I want to lose and I still reckon about two stone…”
Symptoms of an eating disorder
Symptoms of eating disorders, according to the NHS, include:
- Spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape
- Avoiding socialising when you think food will be involved
- Eating very little food
- Deliberately making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat
- Exercising too much
- Having very strict habits or routines around food
- Changes in your mood
Physical signs may include:
- Feeling cold, tired or dizzy
- Problems with your digestion
- Your weight being very high or very low for someone of your age and height
- Not getting your period for women and girls
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