Vanessa Bauer claims her former skating coach cut ties with her because of battles with eating disorders and her “mental health situation”.
The Dancing On Ice pro – who is paired with Love Island star Wes Nelson on the current series – has opened up about “ending up in psychological therapy” after she fell into depression.
In a candid post to Instagram on Wednesday, she wrote: “Before I started shows I would have never thought I’d be comfortable in front of the camera in a bikini or much less in underwear!
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“Every day I was told I am too fat (which I wasn’t!) and it did nothing but making my confidence shrink into nothing!
“At 13, when my skating career started to take off, circumstances, comments and many voices made me fall into a combination of eating disorders. Completely ASHAMED and always wanting to be the best in everything I did, I hid my struggles – for 4 years.”
She continued: “Appearing as the strong Vanessa nobody would have EVER thought of my mental health issues. 4 years later, I could not handle the pressure anymore. I fell into depressions on top of my eating disorders.
“My coach found out about my MENTAL HEALTH SITUATION and didn’t want to have anything to do with the girl who ended up in psychological therapy !! It was the most devastating years of my life but I still managed to hide the whole situation from everybody around me. (sic)”
Vanessa, 22, put on a strong front at school and in public, but turned to therapy and became convinced she was at fault for her mental health issues.
It even got to the point that the star – who continued to thrive with her education, despite her struggles – quit skating, before realising the positive impact the sport could have on her life.
She added: “I am now unbelievably proud of myself for how far I’ve come. By myself and for myself I trained my way back into my passion.
“Being a pro figure skater travelling around the world DOING WHAT I LOVE became the best therapy! Things have turned up differently than I wanted but everything was for the better.
“Skating gives me life and there is no happier place for me than ON STAGE PERFORMING… I have fallen in love with taking care of my body and I’m still working on my mind! (sic)”
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And she urged anyone facing similar problems to speak to people and get help rather than keeping it inside.
She concluded: “If you are struggling SEEK HELP. Admitting, accepting and sharing are the first steps to recovery. You’re not alone. (sic)”
Can you relate to any of Vanessa’s comments? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.