Reality TV star and personal trainer Charlie King has opened up about his struggle with body dysmorphia.
Appearing on daytime Chanel 4 chat show, Steph’s Packed Lunch, Charlie told how his problems with the way he looked were triggered from a young age when he was bullied at school.
And despite overcoming the taunts and finding fame on TOWIE, he said the show fuelled an obsession over his image and led to a self loathing spiral and constant anxiety about his appearance.
He told Steph McGovern: "I can’t keep living in this cycle of not liking myself or being negative about myself when people come to me for inspiration. I want to try and be happy and it’s just been a constant flow of bad things happening and I want to try and take control.”
But he said it was confronting his sexuality and ultimately coming out as gay which led to him reaching out for therapy to tackle things head on.
He added:“Then when I came out, there was a pressure to look the way I thought I needed to look to be attractive to men and also to get over my fear that being gay meant I lacked masculinity. So I went and got the tattoos, I bulked up and went down this route that it was what I needed to do to be a man still and attractive.”
And in a drastic step Charlie told how he underwent cosmetic surgery which went wrong leaving him worse off and needing to make a change.
He continued: “This is why I wanted to sit here today and say enough is enough. I don’t care about perfection, I don’t want people to be in quest of this perfection. If you’re finding yourself picking yourself apart or you’re obsessing or comparing yourself, start getting help. Listen to the ones that say you’re ok, you’re fine…”
Charlie even underwent a cosmetic procedure to boast his confidence but when the procedure went wrong he was left worse off and sought help.
He added: “I’m getting help, I’ve got a great support network and I have therapy… It will be an ongoing thing… Therapy helps me to look at the bigger picture…”
Charlie is now urging others who may be struggling with their body image to reach out for support.
He added: "It’s important to look at how much you’re looking at social media, who you follow. Don’t be afraid to unfollow people… If you’re finding yourself being quite negative towards yourself or staring at the mirror, you need to start thinking about why and try turning it around. ”
For help or advice can be found at Help & Support Organisations Channel 4
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4.
