Edinburgh woman speaks out to help those suffering from eating disorders at Christmas

An Edinburgh woman who is in recovery from anorexia is speaking out to help others suffering from eating disorders this Christmas.

Katie Reid spent much of her teens in and out of hospital as she battled with anorexia. She is now in recovery and has become an ambassador for eating disorder charity Beat.

She now wants to tell her story and reassure those suffering during the festive period.

She told Forth News: "The constant obsession with food over the festive period is not good for people with eating disorders. You feel like you are pressurized in to socialising, being happy, and you just don't feel like that. It's okay not to feel like that.

"I struggled alot with thinking I had to speed up everything because I was missing out on life. But it took me a long time to discover that the slower I go, and the more effort I put in to myself, rather than pleasing other people, it made a big difference in how well I felt in myself.

"I was constantly told I would never finish school, I would never get to uni, I would never go home... and I think all of those thoughts plagued me for a long time. But I'm now I'm in a flat by myself, I'm in my third year at uni, I've traveled by myself. All these things told me I would never get to do and now I feel like I can do it."

The charity Beat offers a range of services for those suffering from eating disorders, and over the festive period will be running online support groups as well as a helpline for those in need. You can find more details here: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/