Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Waring has spoken candidly about her teenage battle with anorexia, which left her fighting for her life at the age of 14. The 41-year-old, known for playing Cindy Cunningham on the Channel 4 soap, revealed she was hospitalised after her weight dropped to just 4st 7lb.
Speaking to New! magazine, Waring recalled the stark warning from doctors: 'If you don't go to hospital, you may as well get hit by a bus because you're going to die.' She described her condition as 'really bad' and explained that her diet spiralled out of control after she wanted to lose weight to 'look good in hotpants'.
Waring, who first joined Hollyoaks in 1996, said the eating disorder began when she felt she was 'a fat kid' and started a diet that 'never ended'. She continued losing weight until she became scared to eat. According to the NHS, anorexia sufferers often have a distorted body image, believing they are overweight even when dangerously underweight.
Although now in full health, Waring admitted that the disorder 'never leaves you', especially having developed it at such a young age. 'I'm 41 now but it's something so ingrained in you psychologically,' she said, adding that she now has a more 'rational' relationship with her body.
