Princess Diana’s battle with bulimia depicted in new children’s book, explaining she developed an eating disorder when she learned her husband’s heart ‘was someone else’s’
Princess Diana’s battle with bulimia depicted in new children’s book, explaining she developed an eating disorder when she learned her husband’s heart ‘was someone else’s’
Princess Diana’s battle with bulimia is depicted in a new children’s book about eating disorders.
A new book in the Little People, Big Dreams series, out September 7, will tell young readers about the popular princess, loved by millions around the world, and her life in the royal family.
As the children’s book, written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, describes Diana’s life and the personal suffering she faced, it will describe her struggle with bulimia and how it manifested itself.
The book describes how Diana’s eating disorder developed when she learned that her husband, King Charles, was in love with another woman. One line in the lyrics reads, “She soon realized that the prince’s heart belonged to someone else… Over time, that grief grew into an eating disorder called bulimia.”
Princess Diana first opened up about her eating disorder in 1995 during a now-controversial BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. In the same interview, she revealed that she had self-harmed in the years following her divorce from Charles.
A new children’s book in the Little People, Big Dreams series features Princess Diana battling bulimia while managing her grief upon learning her husband was in love with someone else
She told the disgraced journalist, “I’d come home and it would be really hard to know how to comfort myself after comforting a lot of other people, so jumping into the fridge would be a normal pattern.”
Diana added that the eating disorder was a “symptom” of the marital problems she was having – and argued that she was “crying out for help” but not getting the support she needed, being labeled “unstable” instead.
The Telegraph reports that the new children’s book will describe how Diana would find time alone to go into the royal kitchens and eat lots of cake to try and feel some sense of comfort. However, when the feeling disappeared, she made herself sick.
Eating disorder advocates have said the book’s contents could help young people recognize the signs of bulimia more quickly, but cautioned that the problem must be approached with sensitivity.
The late mother of two revealed her bulimia struggles in a now-controversial 1995 BBC Panorama interview with disgraced journalist Martin Bashir
Tom Quinn, director of external affairs for the eating disorder charity Beat, told the newspaper: “We advise writers not to go into detail about the behaviour, calories or weight of an eating disorder, as these are the symptoms of someone who has being unwell can worsen or contribute to an eating disorder. disorder arise when someone is vulnerable.”
In 2017, Diana’s friends opened up about the late princess’s bulimia battle, which was fueled by concerns about Charles’ relationship with Camilla, plus a constant worry that her children would be taken from her.
Former ballet teacher Anne Allan revealed that Diana poured her heart out to her, revealing that her husband’s affair with Camilla left her feeling “very sad, devastated” and that she “wasn’t enough.”
Mrs Allan told the Sunday express“I know she asked Camilla to leave her husband alone. I actually thought that was very brave of her, because I know how much it must have cost her to do that.’
She also noticed that Diana had lost weight, and the princess later revealed that she had bulimia.
Dr Colthurst, who has known Diana since she was 17, said the eating disorder had a distressing effect on her.
He said, “You could physically see her fade away. It was clear to anyone who knew her that the bulimia was a reaction to the circumstances she was in.’
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, you can find help and support through Defeat