Steps' Claire Richards 'my eating disorder hasn't gone away - but I know my triggers'
ok.co.ukClaire Richards spent years battling an eating disorder after being told to lose weight as a teenager when she was auditioning for iconic pop group Steps.
More than 20 years on, the mum of two says told OK! that while it hasn't gone away completely, she knows her triggers and is able to keep herself healthy. “When I auditioned for Steps, they told me they loved my voice but I’d have to lose weight to join the group.
So I began a strict diet, joined a gym – but only lost half a stone, initially," she explained. "If someone told me that today, I’d tell them where to go.
I was only 19 years old and 9st, but I had it in my head I was the ‘fat one’. It sent me on a spiral that lasted years. It was only after I left Steps that I went the other way and began to put on weight again." Claire, who adds that she has been both dangerously thin and obese, says there is a lack of understanding around the issue but that she’s learnt to strike a happier balance. “I’m not going to say the eating disorder has gone away completely – like a lot of women, I’m always criticising myself," she said. "But I’ve learnt to give myself much more of a break. "As long as I feel comfortable in my clothes, I feel OK when I look in the mirror.
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