Sarah Ferguson: Dutchess' battle with eating disorder - found ‘consolation' in sausages

Ferguson, also known as “Fergie”, published her first young adult novel last month. But in the past, one of the former Princess’ main escapes from life wasn’t writing – it was binge eating. During the pandemic, Fergie shared how she found “consolation” from family issues in sausages and egg mayonnaise sandwiches.

“After my parents divorced when I was 12, I blamed myself, thinking I was somehow responsible,” penned Ferguson in The Sun.

“I started comfort eating at boarding school and I’d pile on the pounds, only to take great pains to lose them – then I would put them on again.

“It was a pattern that continued into my adult life.”

Although she said she has “never been better” in terms of binge eating, in more recent media appearances, the star has admitted to having to work hard on her mental health.

“I did have and still have mental health issues, which I work at literally every day, I really do,” she recently told Hello! Magazine.

“And I have been in therapy for 24 years. Sometimes I talk to my therapist on a weekly basis, and then sometimes, when it gets really tough, I jump in and get a quick hit of trying to understand the negativity of the demons of my mind.”

In medical terms, binge eating is when people eat lots of food in a short period of time until they are full and may feel guilty after it.

The NHS explains that they can occur at any age but are more typical among late teens and young adults in their early 20s.

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Over the years, Fergie was labeled as the “Duchess of Pork” in the media, which she said, “made things worse”.

She has shared how things had gotten so bad that she could not look at herself in the mirror.

And in a podcast back in 2017, she said she even “wished” she had bulimia instead of a binge eating disorder.

Alongside therapy, the star has sought out many lifestyle changes to help manage her weight issues, including ketogenic diets, and calorie counting.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, high-protein diet often, which has been reported to reduce fat quickly.

Because of her experience, Fergie has since weighed in on the high levels of obesity in the country and backed the Government’s obesity strategy back in 2020.

“Personal responsibility for excess weight is often cited as the answer,” she said.

“However, obesity levels in the UK will not reduce without us addressing a range of factors which contribute to the unhealthy society in which we live.”

According to Cancer Research, it is estimated that 35 million people are overweight or obese in the UK.

As part of the Government’s obesity strategy, vital measures such as ending buy-one-get-one-free promotions on foods high in fats, sugar, and salt were supposed to occur back in October 2021.

However, back in July 2021, The Department of Health and Social Care said the ban would be postponed until October 2022.

The U-turn on the policy was criticised by TV chef Jamie Oliver. He wrote on Twitter: “This is a wasted opportunity and it starts to erode the whole obesity strategy – which at some point looked progressive and world-leading written down but is falling apart when it comes to acting on these policies.”

Could you have a binge eating disorder?

The symptoms of binge eating include eating when you are not hungry, eating fast during a binge, and eating alone and secretly.

The charity Beating Eating Disorder has a helpline available if you are worried you may be struggling with binge eating. It can be contacted via 0808 801 0677.