IN THIS ISSUE

UNTIL RECENTLY, A QUESTION ROUTINELY ASKED OF FEMALE CELEBRITIES in interviews would be, ‘What part of your body do you most dislike?’ I have never heard anyone flinch at this; indeed, replies would fly back rapid-fire, and often quite detailed. Ordinary mortals like me would wonder at how the particular A-lister under scrutiny – the very image of perfection – still managed to find time to fret about her fat ankles or long nose. I mean, if such otherworldly creatures could obsess over imagined shortcomings, what hope for the rest of us? To the naked eye, TV presenter and model Amanda Byram, naturally slim and beautiful, doesn’t have much to worry about – most of us would love to look like her. Yet for 25 years, Amanda punished her body through disordered eating and a compulsive attitude to exercise, which eventually threatened her mental health and relationships. Finally, at 40, she faced her issues head on, training as a nutritionist and personal trainer and developing a relaxed and healthy attitude to food and exercise. On page 20 she talks about the battle she waged – familiar to so many of us – and tells us how to silence that niggling voice in our head telling us that no matter how good we look, we could always look better. MAUDE JULIEN HAD BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH before she even reached the age of five. On page 26 we have an extract from her book about her life, which makes for harrowing but inspiring reading. Her father deliberately conceived her with the express desire of turning her into a superhuman, but ultimately she broke free of him – and his sinister intentions.