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Gabby Logan is candid about her body image issues as a young gymnast and the toll her father’s alcoholism took on her self-esteem.
The sports presenter, 49, is the daughter of professional footballer Terry Yorath, and she represented Wales in gymnastics, finishing 11th in the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Speaking to Radio Times, Gabby explained how as a teenager she tried to control her weight by surviving on “mono-diets” of zucchini, cauliflower or oranges.
Candidness: Gabby Logan is candid about her body image issues as a young gymnast and the toll her father’s alcoholism had on her self-esteem
She revealed: “I became a vegetarian so I didn’t have to eat family meals. But I knew all along why I was doing it, and that’s why I don’t think I slipped into absolute anorexia or eating disorder.’
“There was a feeling in my head that when I’m done gymnastics, I’ll just eat normally again.”
She admits that if her sciatica didn’t force her to quit gymnastics at 17, she may have been at risk of developing a full-blown eating disorder.
Gabby even confessed to taking laxatives and making herself sick before her mother put an end to them.
Sportster: The sports presenter, 49, is the daughter of professional footballer Terry Yorath, and she represented Wales in gymnastics, finishing 11th in the 1990 Commonwealth Games (pictured together)
She said, ‘Yes, there were certain points where I took laxatives. When I finished gymnastics, I made myself sick a few times.
“My mom came in once and was very no-nonsense about it. She said, “Stop. That’s ridiculous. Don’t do that.” It stopped me in my tracks and [made me think]”What am I doing?”‘
Gabby’s younger brother Daniel Yorath suddenly collapsed and died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in May 1992, when he was 15 and she 19.
She explained how Daniel’s death had a major impact on her father, who withdrew from the family and started drinking to cope.
When she was candid about the impact of his alcoholism, she said, “It really crowds out your own self-esteem. For a long time, especially when I was in my twenties, I felt like I wasn’t nice enough. It’s important to get to a point where you realize it has nothing to do with you.”
Body issues: Speaking to Radio Times, Gabby explained how as a teenager she tried to control her weight by surviving on ‘mono diets’ of zucchini, cauliflower or oranges
It comes after Gabby revealed she was experiencing suicidal thoughts after her brother’s sudden death.
Reflecting on her heartbreak as she wrote about the tragedy in her new memoir, The First Half, Gabby confessed to asking the druggist if she could “take something that would make everything disappear.”
Speaking of the writing process, she added to the Radio Times: ‘I thought, ‘I don’t know if I have what it takes to keep doing this.’
Gabby has previously spoken of the “catastrophic” long-lasting impact of her brother’s sudden death.
Loss: The presenter’s brother, Daniel Yorath, died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in May 1992 when he was 15 and she 19 (pictured with their sister Louise)
She said her family had “shattered into a million pieces” after Daniel fell over and died playing soccer with their father.
She said the traumatic incident “defined her childhood” and affected the way her family lived for the rest of their lives.
In a 2020 podcast by The Game Changers, she said, “He died of a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is basically sudden death.
“We had no warning. He had a congenital heart defect, which meant that from the outside and apparently his condition was just out of your reach. He was in the top 0.00 percent.
She said that even now, nearly 28 years later, she and her family are still coming to terms with the “consequences” of Daniel’s tragic death.
Gabby continued: ‘Even if someone dies suddenly at age 78, it feels young, but they are 78 when a child dies so young, of course there is such a fallout among the whole family.
“It defined the rest of our childhood and shaped how the family has progressed through those years and it leaves its mark in many ways.
“It was a very difficult time for everyone and to this day the consequences are still there.”
Struggles: Gabby also opened up about her move to London at the height of her TV career success and how it caused her “self-destruct” (pictured in 2000)
Elsewhere in her chat with Radio Times, Gabby also talked about moving to London at the height of her TV career success and how it caused her “self-destruct”.
She rose to fame when she first appeared on TV in 1996 after being headhunted by Sky Sports.
You can read the full interview on Radio Times
She told the publication: “There was a bit of self-destruction. I didn’t do drugs [and] I wasn’t afraid of becoming an alcoholic, but I didn’t treat myself very well. I had no positive relationships.
Gabby explained that if she hadn’t taken therapy, she wouldn’t have married her husband today.
She married her husband Kenny Logan in 2001 and is the mother of twins, son Reuben McKerrow Logan and daughter Lois Maya Logan.
The star said: ‘I don’t think I would get married. I wouldn’t have allowed myself a nurturing relationship.”
Read the full interview here Radio Times.
If this story has touched you, call the Samaritans at 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
If you need help or support for an eating disorder or body image problem, call the Butterfly National Helpline at 1800 334 673 or email support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au
Family: She married her husband Kenny Logan in 2001 and is the mother of twins, son Reuben McKerrow Logan and daughter Lois Maya Logan