Vanessa Feltz has opened up about her lifelong weight struggles, revealing in a new memoir that her mother Valerie put her on a strict diet when she was just nine years old. In an exclusive extract from her book Vanessa Bares All, the TV star describes how her mother's actions led to an eating disorder and lifelong insecurity.
Feltz recounts that at age nine, despite being a skinny child who avoided sweets, her mother began drastically curbing her food intake. She would announce at family dinners that everyone could have soup except Vanessa, who was given half a grapefruit. The sudden regime left her feeling punished and confused.
By age 20, her mother was obtaining black market amphetamines from her hairdresser to help Feltz lose weight. The pills caused severe side effects including a racing heart, nausea, and breath smelling of nail polish remover. Feltz became dangerously thin, with visible bones, but her mother encouraged the drug use.
Feltz says her father never intervened, and she believes her mother transferred her own weight issues onto her. The experience led to a gastric band surgery that Feltz describes as a nightmare. She now speaks openly about the damage caused by her mother's actions.
