Lily Allen speaks about ‘problem’ with eating during mental health struggles

Lily Allen revealed that her eating habits have been affected by her ongoing mental health issues.

On the December 16 episode of her BBC podcast Miss me? Together with co-host Miquita Oliver, the 39-year-old British pop star revealed that she had struggled with eating for the past three years, which she hid from her therapist.

“I’ve been going through a tough time these past few months and my eating has become a real problem,” she said on the show.

The singer said her therapist asked why she had never talked about her problem after so long. Allen said she doesn’t necessarily lie during therapy, but she inadvertently leaves out aspects of her life during her sessions.

“It’s just because it didn’t seem to be at the top of the list of the important things I need to talk about,” she said.

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Allen then wondered whether her ADHD, which she was diagnosed with in 2023, contributed to her staying away from her food issues during therapy.

“I don’t link a lot of things,” she admitted. “My body and my brain are two very different things for me. I know a lot of people feel like these two things are very connected, 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.”

“I’m not really in a good place mentally at the moment. I don’t eat, but I’m not hungry. I’m obviously hungry, but my body and my brain are so separated that the hunger messages don’t go from my body to my brain,” she explained. “I don’t avoid food, I just don’t think about it… my body is a few steps behind me.”

Allen previously spoke about battling an eating disorder in 2011. The singer told Channel 4 that she suffered from bulimia at a time when people were constantly praising her appearance.

“It’s not something I’m proud of,” she said at the time. “But I tell you what, a lot of people came up to me and told me how great I looked. I was on the cover of every magazine saying, ‘Lily looks great. Look how much weight she’s lost.’ I thought I looked good.”

“It was great to try on clothes and walk out of the store with a million dollars. When you’ve been victimized by people saying the opposite, you want more of it,” she continued. “But I wasn’t happy, really. I would like to be the thinnest and smallest person in the world. But I know I can’t do that without being unhappy. I like my food.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, visit NationalEatingDisorders.org.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.