Justin Hawkins: I suffered from bulimia
He talks about his battle with an eating disorder
Thursday, 28 September 2006
As the man famed for wearing figure-hugging catsuits on stage in his glam rock band The Darkness, it’s hardly surprising that Justin Hawkins is a bit body-conscious. But it still came as a shock to many of his fans when the charismatic singer spoke out about his struggle with the eating disorder bulimia.
It's hard to talk about
Justin admitted to bingeing on food and then vomiting it up after becoming obsessed about maintaining his super-lithe figure. ‘I’ve been silly and tried to lose weight quickly, the wrong way,’ he says. ‘It’s hard to talk about it, but yes, I’ve had a kind of bulimia. Put it this way, I’ve tried techniques like using laxatives to shit food back out and I’ve been through throwing up and everything.’
Eating disorders are generally seen as affecting women rather than men, but in fact official figures show that approximately 10 per cent of people with eating disorders are men – and the real number could be even higher.
Guys tend to over-exercise, too
‘That figure only refers to the number of men who are actually receiving treatment,’ says Steve Bloomfield, spokesperson for the Eating Disorders Association. ‘But we believe the actual figure for male sufferers is at least double that. Men are less likely to go to their doctor if they have a problem and, even if they do, they are also less likely to be diagnosed,’ he explains.
The reason doctors often find it hard to diagnose bulimia or anorexia in men is because, as well as under-eating, guys with eating disorders tend to over-exercise, too.
‘In the early stages, this can actually make them look healthy and fit,’ says Steve. ‘It’s not until they have burned all the fat and start to burn muscle instead that they begin to show the classic signs of anorexia you associate with women sufferers. But the problem will always show up eventually because, put quite simply, if they don’t take in enough calories they are effectively starving themselves.’
All too easy to rely on fast food
Justin says his battle with his weight dates back to the band’s beginnings. The singer was – by his own admission – seriously overweight, so he went on a gruelling fitness programme and shed 3st.
But the success of The Darkness meant that the band were constantly on tour, and Justin struggled to stay slim while on the road. A frantic schedule and long journeys can mean that it’s all too easy to rely on fast food – and fitness regimes often go out the window.
‘I used to do loads of exercise when we were starting out, but I stopped because of the rigours of drinking heavily and being on the road all the time. There’s no room for a gym on a tour bus,’ Justin explains. He believes this is what triggered his bulimia.
I didn't want to end up as fat as Elvis
As well as dieting and having a history of being overweight, another common risk factor for developing an eating disorder is taking part in a sport or activity that emphasises thinness. Justin confesses that performing on stage in front of thousands of people and wanting to maintain a rock-god physique were major contributing factors to him developing the eating disorder.
‘I had the catsuits designed to have a bit of give in them to allow for any expansion round the middle, but I still didn’t want to end up looking as fat as Elvis in his later years,’ he says.
‘While our image-obsessed society can’t carry all the blame,’ says Steve, ‘external pressures can certainly influence someone who’s already predisposed to an eating disorder.
It's a way of getting back control
‘People are most likely to be affected when they’re going through a time of big change and they see this as a way to get the control back in their life,’ he adds. This was certainly the case for Justin – as well as the sudden rise to fame of his band, he also went through a difficult split from girlfriend and manager Sue Whitehouse’
The star explains that his bulemia has made him take stock of issues that may have triggered the illness. ‘I realise now that if you’re concerned about your body, then there are other parts of your life you need to think about,’ he says.
‘The fact that Justin’s talking about his eating disorder openly is an important step on the road to recovery,’ says Steve. ‘This is something that affects many men, but there’s a lot of denial and secrecy around the issue. If someone who has worked through the illness speaks out, it gives out a positive message to other sufferers.’
Male stars who’ve had eating issues
• Sir Elton John has spoken openly about his battle with bulimia.
• Former Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt beat bulimia in his teens.
• TV impersonator Rory Bremner’s disorder meant that at one stage he couldn’t even stand the sight of food.
• Uri Geller admitted to becoming incredibly weak through lack of food during his illness.
• Friends star Matthew Perry was rumoured to have issues with eating after his weight yo-yoed wildly.
• Matt Damon lost 40lb during training for the film Courage Under Fire, but soon got back to his fighting weight.
Further information
• Eating Disorders Association (call 0845 6341414 or visit
www.edauk.com)
• National Centre for Eating Disorders (call 01372 469493 or visit
www.eating-disorders.org.uk)
Ali Agnew
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