Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) is left deeply worried in Emmerdale next week, as she collapses right in front of Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy).
This week, Gabby headed to see Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) about a cough. She was told that she has bacterial bronchitis and needed to take some medication to clear the infection up. Gabby hasn't consumed any of the tablets because she currently believes that medicine created by pharmaceutical companies release harmful toxins in her body. She's only developed this view as a result of absorbing fake news on her social media.
Manpreet's Insight
Alongside this, Gabby has become hyper-fixated on eating what she deems to be 'pure' foods. Because Manpreet has spent a bit of time with Gabby this week trying to help her get better, she's been given an insight into her mindset, her lifestyle, and what she's been watching on social media. Manpreet told Gabby that she thinks she has an eating disorder called orthorexia, but she struggled to accept what the GP was saying.
Recognising that Gabby isn't ready to listen, Manpreet takes a different approach next week and tells Laurel about Gabby's socials. Laurel heads off to find Gabby, but has no idea that she's actually in The Hide experiencing a panic attack.
The Collapse
In this new video, we see what happens after Gabby is found. Laurel encourages Gabby to open up, and she tells her about constantly being worried about the food she puts in her body. Gabby stands up and suddenly feels dizzy, leading to her collapsing in Laurel's arms. Gabby later wakes up in Hotton General. She's fragile, but she's ready to face the issue. She tells Manpreet that she can tell Laurel what's been going on.
'This is thing with any eating disorder,' star Rosie Bentham told us. 'Anorexia, bulimia, and everything. With orthorexia, it's all about control and obsession with what you think your life is going to look like when it's perfect. That starts with what you are fuelling your body with.'
Social Media Pressure
'The social media algorithm sucks you in, doesn't it? Because I am very interested in the gym and being healthy, I noticed that my algorithm was getting so extreme, and the pressure put on young people especially.
'I was really interested in why we are scrolling down our social media page and listening to a random person with probably no qualifications in nutrition, and they're walking down a supermarket aisle and telling us that if you eat this, this is going to happen and this chemical means this.
'So then I looked into it a bit. I also know of people who might restrict themselves from social situations due to restrictive behaviours on what they can eat or what they should be consuming. I connected the dots.
'There's such a rise in this optimisation culture where people want to be the best version of themselves. I can talk about it for ages. It's just so interesting. The misconception, which I don't want people to get from this story, that orthorexia is not just eating healthily and when that gets bad. It's the psychological, emotional side that comes with it.'
