Dancing On Ice star Vanessa Bauer has bravely spoken out on her eating disorder, addressing her struggles with body image as a professional skater.
The athlete, 24, modelled a series of lingerie sets from the new Savage X Fenty collection, which have been designed with body inclusivity in mind.
In her caption, Vanessa, who joined Dancing On Ice as a professional in 2018, admitted she never thought she’d be able to model lingerie, as her anxiety around body image was overwhelming.
She said: “I used to think I could never model lingerie for personal battles with my body confidence.”
Vanessa explained the “news of a lost battle with an ED” had inspired her to speak out on her own eating disorder.
(Image: Instagram)
It is unclear whether Vanessa was referencing Big Brother star Nikki Grahame, who died aged 38 on Saturday after a devastating battle with anorexia.
She said: “If you’ve followed me for a while you may know about my past battle with an aggressive eating disorder as I opened up about this a while ago.
“This was meant to be a different kind of post but Today I saw tragic news of a lost battle with an ED. It made me realise once again that there isn’t enough awareness around ED. They are not taken seriously enough.”
The sportswoman went on to reveal her own eating disorder negatively impacted her career as a competitive skater.
(Image: PA)
She said: “And it costs lives… I suffered nearly a decade – it ultimately ended my competitive skating career – and for the last couple of years I’ve been strong enough to openly speak and raise awareness in the hope to help people who are suffering too.
“To show them they are not alone and that the vicious circle can be beaten!!”
Vanessa finished with an empowering message for her fans, adding: “You deserve to feel fierce, happy, confident and comfortable within yourself.”
Originally from Germany, Vanessa also trained in dance and acrobatics, making a career as a skater on one of the world’s most luxurious cruise ships – HMS Harmony Of The Seas.
(Image: vanessabauer_skates/Instagram)
She moved to north London in 2017, eventually landing a role on the long-running ITV skate series Dancing On Ice.
Vanessa previously addressed her struggle with body image in a 2019 Instagram post, explaining her eating disorder developed when her skate career began in her teens.
“At 13, when my skating career started to take off, circumstances, comments and many voices made me fall into a combination of eating disorders,” she said.
“Completely ASHAMED and always wanting to be the best in everything I did, I hid my struggles – for 4 years.”
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Vanessa added she fell into bouts of depression, describing the period as the “most devastating years of my life,” leading her to temporarily stop skating.
The ITV star then urged her followers to seek help if they are facing the same struggles, leading them on the path to recovery.
She said: “If you are struggling SEEK HELP. Admitting, accepting and sharing are the first steps to recovery. You’re not alone.”
If you’re worried about your health or the health of somebody else, you can contact SEED eating disorder support service on 01482 718130 or on their website, https://seedeatingdisorders.org.uk.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
