Demi Lovato has revealed that she is convinced she was born with an eating disorder, as she never experienced a "normal" relationship with food.
The Disney star explained that she overate as a youngster, which led to bullying in school. In turn, she stated that this led to an eating disorder as she regularly skipped meals.
Lovato checked into rehab in 2010 to tackle a number of personal issues, including self-harming and her problems with food, which the singer/actress is sure the issue traces back to her formative years
Speaking to You magazine she said: "I think I was born with an eating disorder, because I've never had a relationship with food that was normal. I remember looking in the mirror with nappies on thinking, 'You're fat, change it'.
"I started overeating when I was about eight; I was a binge eater. I would bake a whole plate of cookies and eat them all. Then when I turned 12 I was bullied in school and they called me fat. I went from being an overeater to stopping eating and I lost about 30 pounds. From then on I continued undereating, but my weight plateaued. I started throwing up to lose weight."
The La La Land singer continued to explain how rehab helped her to routine her eating habits saying: "Breakfast would be at 8.30am, a bowl of cereal with yoghurt or milk and fruit. Lunch would be a sandwich, salad and fruit or vegetables. Dinner might be macaroni cheese with a side of vegetables and milk.
"I cried often because I was terrified at having to eat three meals a day. I said, 'No, this is too much food.' I started eating just so that I could go home. I don't know what made it click but I realised I just wanted out of my eating disorder.
"Now I can eat as many meals as I am supposed to and not throw up any more. There's definitely temptation - every meal I fight it. It's an addiction and I'm going to have to fight it for the rest of my life. There's no cure and I may mess up, but I want to be a better role model for my fans and my younger sister."
