A woman has hit out at a hit-tv show after suffering from a crippling eating disorder for over four years.
Megan Aston was hospitalised in November last year with anorexia nervosa.
The 25-year-old was forced to stay at the Kinver Unit in Stafford for seven months where she was treated for her condition.
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Megan told BlackCountryLive she initially dismissed her family's concerns over her weight and did not think she had an issue.
Her symptoms were initially put down to the stress she was experiencing during her A-level exams.
"There was a multitude of things. It didn’t start around wanting to lose weight, it was more me wanting to be in control of my life," Megan said.
"I felt out of control with other things in my life, but it then just spiralled. Exams were a stressor for me."
The full-time student has called out modern diet culture as a root cause of eating disorders.
She said: "There’s a diet culture that we live in. When people talk about ‘summer bodies’ and an unrealistic body image. There were parts of my body that I disliked that I continued to dislike at the height of my eating disorder.
"We all look different and that should be celebrated – there's not just one way to look.
"Some people talk about food as though it needs to be earned and deserved.
"Like on Bake Off when Prue says that something is 'worth the calories'. This is really dangerous as it is normalised that cakes and things need to be earned.
"That’s the start of a very slippery slope."
She added: "There are a lot of changes that the government is making to tackle obesity – its things like that I don’t think have been fully considered.
"For example, putting calorie counts on menus. I don’t think that has been fully considered from the point of view of someone with this illness as that’s all they think about anyway.
"With government guidelines changing and new things being put in place, that seems to work against those suffering from eating disorders – it seems that more awareness needs to be made on how these things can be so impactful.
"Me and my parents were probably quite blind to a lot of things before I experienced it.
"No one understands it until they’ve been through it, so you can’t say that everyone should know what to say and what not to say.
"The government doesn’t allocate a lot of money to eating disorder research – there seems to be a taboo in talking about it.
"For a long time, I felt very ashamed to say that I had an eating disorder. Sometimes because it’s a mental illness and now a physical illness, people don’t know how dangerous it is. A lot of people go on undiagnosed and without help, and it is killing people."
After undergoing seven months of treatment for anorexia as an inpatient in Stafford, Megan wanted to give something back to those who had supported her.
Eating disorder charity Beat helped not only her, but her family too.
When it was initially suggested she needed to stay in hospital, Megan was left feeling scared.
She said: "It was terrifying. I was so oblivious to the fact that I was so ill.
"My first reaction after I was told I would need to stay in hospital was, 'but I’ll miss the bake-off final!'
"I thought that was a really valid excuse. It is hard looking back now because the way I thought back then was so twisted by the illness. It can be hard to remember things – but I remember being paranoid and not trusting anybody.
"Memory and recall are impacted by eating disorders. I was so lucky to have such a supportive family. The care and treatment I had from the hospital and Beat was amazing. I think back and think about how difficult it must have been for my family to see.
"They saw the worst parts of it all. It is really hard for the individual and the families too."
Megan took part in a sponsored skydive in Shrewsbury last month and has raised more than £8,000 on her JustGiving page so far.
"I loved it, it was absolutely fantastic," the University of Birmingham student said.
"It started when I was an inpatient. I thought it was the worse thing I’ve ever been through so a skydive felt like nothing in comparison.
"I cannot explain what the donations mean – it is overwhelming seeing how many people have helped. Just raising awareness about eating disorders is so important. The illness is often seen as simply low weight and hospital admissions which is one extreme.
"But I think that people can recognise that it is something that is a lot more common.
"Since I’ve posted the fundraiser, people have reached out to my family saying that they are going through the same thing."
She continued: "I’ve just come back from a weekend in Paris with my sister. That is something I never thought I'd be able to do again.
"I spent so long being miserable in life and at the worst, it felt like I couldn’t do anything social. If I was ever at one, it was like watching a tv show. You are not present or enjoying the moment – you’re not really there.
"To even be able to be at home with the family is amazing – to be able to enjoy my life again is incredible."
Rachael Bramwell, Community Fundraising Officer at Beat, said: "We are so grateful for Meg's dedication to raising awareness of eating disorders.
"During the pandemic we have seen a massive increase in demand for our support services, and this donation will help us to continue our essential work helping people with eating disorders."
You can donate towards Megan's JustGiving page here.
Eating disorder support and helplines can be found on the Beat website here.
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