CAMILLA AINSWORTH: BINGE EATING WAS UNINTENTIONAL SELF-HARM

She’s the straight-talking businesswoman who took no prisoners in the boardroom, but an undiagnosed binge eating disorder caused The Apprentice star Camilla Ainsworth to seek help during lockdown.

The 25-year-old entrepreneur, who has built an empire with her nut milk drink MYLK PLUS, told fans in September that lockdown caused her unresolved issues with binge eating to spiral out of control.

Gorging on crisps and chocolate as a coping mechanism, the social media star finally decided enough was enough.

Now in a healthier and happier place, here, Ainsworth explains how diagnosing the issue has helped her turn a corner, and why she thinks it’s important to raise awareness amongst her followers…

Where you nervous about speaking out publicly about your experiences with binge eating?

“I was a bit apprehensive at first. I think we’re all guilty of giving off this shiny image on Instagram. From the outside, it seems as though everything’s polished and that you’ve got your s*** together. “But I just had to take a step back and think that it’s for the greater good. I’ve had loads of people messaging, saying they’ve been struggling with the same [issue] and that they never realised, from looking at my Instagram, that it’s something I’ve been experiencing for a while. When did the issue first start and how long have you been in recovery?

“I’ve had it since I was 18, on and off. It’s something I’ve always laughed off and made into a bit of a joke, so to finally diagnose it feels like a whole other ballgame.

“At the start of lockdown, it [the binge eating] spiralled out of control. It used be once every couple of weeks, but it rose to two or three times a week.

“I was working out and burning loads of calories, but I just wasn’t losing any weight or seeing results. It felt like I was doing everything for nothing and there was a sense of being in a no man’s land. Something just clicked. “I started to implement a food diary, around 12 weeks ago, and I’ve also been practising mindful techniques too.”

Do you think you’ll ever overcome the issue?

“I don’t think I’ll ever be fully recovered from it, because I’ve got those intrinsic traits now, but it’s like exercising a muscle. You’ve just got to constantly make mindful choices.

“Eventually, over the years, I think I will build up a stronger toolkit that will help me to combat it and to make positive changes.”