Gabby Thomas is about to stumble upon the secret that could push her already fragile grip on control to breaking point in Emmerdale. Having secretly battled an eating disorder, she is now set to learn that Billy Fletcher shared a kiss with her best friend Dawn Taylor.
On the surface, Gabby appears to be thriving. The young entrepreneur has turned healthy eating into a lifestyle, scrolling social media and promoting her clean eating choices to an audience of adoring subscribers. She eats well, works out, feels good. But beneath the surface, her diet is not about health – it is about control.
Her storyline is heading towards a full-blown battle with orthorexia, an unhealthy obsession with consuming only what she considers pure food. The disorder has already impacted her parenting: she prevented her son Thomas Tate from having a frozen lolly and banned him from attending a friend's birthday party because the food being served was too processed for her liking.
What is orthorexia?
Orthorexia was defined in 1997 by Dr Steven Bratman. It is not currently recognised in a clinical setting as a separate eating disorder, meaning someone visiting a doctor with symptoms would not receive an official diagnosis of orthorexia, although the term may be discussed during their care.
The condition refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating pure food, although what counts as pure or impure varies from person to person. Not everyone who follows a healthy eating plan has orthorexia. As with other eating disorders, the behaviour is used to cope with negative thoughts and feelings, or to gain a sense of control.
Someone affected may feel extremely anxious or guilty if they eat food they believe is unhealthy. It can also cause physical problems, as their beliefs about health may lead them to cut out essential nutrients or entire food groups. All eating disorders are serious mental illnesses and should be treated as quickly as possible to give the sufferer the best chance of recovery.
Signs of orthorexia
Behavioural signs, according to information from beateatingdisorders.org.uk, include cutting out particular foods and food groups in an attempt to make a diet healthier, with more and more foods being eliminated over time. Sufferers may take an existing theory about healthy eating and adapt it with additional beliefs of their own. Poor concentration, judging the eating habits of others, and an obsession with healthy eating can also emerge, with the increased focus on food interfering with relationships or work.
Psychological signs include an inability to set aside personal rules about what can and cannot be eaten, even when the person wants to. Feelings of anxiety, guilt, or uncleanliness over eating unhealthy food are common, as is emotional wellbeing that depends on eating the right food. Low mood or depression may also be present.
Physical signs can result from malnutrition if important food groups or nutrients are cut out. These include weight loss, feeling weaker, tiredness, taking a long time to recover from illness, feeling cold, and low energy levels.
The trauma behind Gabby's disorder
The anxiety, guilt and depression Gabby is experiencing can be traced to trauma shown in the soap, including her failed marriage to Vinny Dingle and being rejected by Ross Barton.
Even her current relationship with Billy Fletcher has "doomed romance" written all over it. Billy, a personal trainer, unknowingly enables her eating disorder by supporting her positive choices, unaware of how much danger she is in.
It does not help that Billy's ex is Gabby's best friend, housemate and sister in all but DNA, Dawn Taylor. Dawn is clearly still carrying a candle for Billy, as shown by her negative reaction to Gabby's decision to come off birth control. Dawn told Billy, hoping it would make him reconsider things with Gabby. Billy seems to feel the same way about Dawn, given the kiss they shared.
The secret that could change everything
That bombshell secret is now in Joe Tate's hands to explode. Joe made the curious decision of making Billy his best man when he marries Dawn. Billy has already dealt a serious blow to Gabby's insecurities by breaking up with her out of guilt in Thursday's episode, shortly before he was seemingly found lifeless in a pool of blood in mysterious circumstances.
Gabby has already suffered a collapse because of her dangerous eating choices. She is close to the edge, and one little push could be all it takes. That push is about to arrive in the form of learning that Billy kissed Dawn.
Whatever happens next, it is guaranteed that Gabby will not take it well. The question is whether this will trigger a shocking escalation in her eating disorder ordeal.
