Freddie flintoff living with bulimia

[Haggisfish]

What an incredibly brave man. An exceptionally insightful programme. I hope it helps others.

Watching it now. I do have a soft spot for Andrew.

Kinda used to think Andrew and Freddie Flintoff were brothers

I had no idea. Was very surprised.

Watching this now. I adore Freddie Flintoff, I feel stupidly proud of him for making this program, such a brave thing to do.

It looks to me like he has replaced one eating disorder (bulimia) with another (anorexia)

He’d lost weight during filming of the latest series of A league of their own. He’s a bit of a broken soul in many respects. I hope he has good people around him.

I thought it interesting his wife/family weren’t in it. Spoke volumes about the fact he hadn’t sought help. Surely without help it isn’t going to get better? Love him and all very sad. He came across as lonely though?

I want to thank Andrew Flintoff for this programme. I'm a man with an eating disorder. As he said, us men aren't supposed to have eating disorders. But we do. And it's great that a man with a massive profile has admitted he's not perfect.

Btw, there are times I won't eat for 2 or 3 days. I might only eat twice a week. I am scared for the future but I can't get mental health treatment.

This is the most personal thing I have posted on MN, and it's taken hours to write it and hit the post message button.

I'm not embarrassed, just worried about others' reactions.

Big respect @DoctorTwo it’s a difficult thing to admit and not one you should feel shame for. Please try and get to a place where you feel you can seek help. You’re worth it.

@DoctorTwo well done for admitting to a problem. When you say you can’t get treatment, do you mean ‘can’t’ or ‘won’t try to’ get help?

I'm so sorry to read your post @DoctorTwo. If you are struggling to find help, please consider reaching out to one of the eating disorder charities for the support that you need and deserve.
www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/international/united-kingdom/u-k-eating-disorder-organizations-charities

DoctorTwo - I would hope that 99.99% of posters would be respectful and empathetic towards anyone talking about their eating disorder on Mumsnet.

@DoctorTwo I'm sending you an unMumsnetty

I'm watching the programme at the moment, it's very moving and thought provoking. I'm in awe of Freddie for opening up about this.

Take care @DoctorTwo

Your health must be suffering. Talk to somebody.

@DoctorTwo

Well done for typing that, that is the first step.

Re the programme, when they showed him as a teen and he was talking about being lanky and wanting more bulk I was thinking, "If you were a woman you'd be congratulated on being thin".

I think many many people have an unhealthy attitude to food, I'm not saying everyone has an eating disorder, just that the way we talk about food, the way it is advertised and, the packed lunch police in schools, the whole notion of 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' food.

I've struggled with my weight for many years and one thing I have never been told is what I should be eating.

I also agree about sports, I watched 'Athlete A' and although it is about sexual abuse one of the gymnasts said that she'd been ill and lost 5 Lb and the coach's attitude was, "good, lets keep that off".

It is the first step @DoctorTwo. My DD has had bulimia for around 5 years. Admitting it nearly a year ago has given her her best time in all those years. What was clear from Freddie's documentary was that you and her and and all the other sufferers of this nasty condition are in it for the long haul. But baby steps forward is what you want, and you've taken the first one,

Our/society's attitude to food and weight and their link to how much you are worth as a human is so fucking toxic I could scream.

The food you eat is not representative of how good a person you are.

The weight you are (not) is not linked to your worth.

Well done Freddie. I hope you continue to get support and improved mental well-being.

@AnyFucker I agree. I think Andrew is still very ill. Reading through the posts here and a bit baffled by some on them saying 'they hope he continues on his road to recovery'. My take home was that he had declined seriously by the end and was incredibly ill still, albeit not purging, he had lost a lot of weight and looked very similar to when he said he was at another one of his worse points (boxing). I took one look at him and thought 'this man needs help!'.

He did an amazing job opening up and doing the program, but he is clearly not well and needs help with his disorder and there was no indication that he was in counciling or receiving help in the credits so I think we've sadly got to assume he didn't continue seeing the dietitian/councillor.

Really sad

Making this documentary was a huge step onto the road to recovery. At the start, he knew it was "wrong" but thought he was in control.

"On the road to recovery" is very different to "cured" and it's not a straight road. I think he is definitely on that road but he's not at the end of it.

@SoupDragon that's true. He just seemed really unwell in that last sequence it was really upsetting

Do fuck off @bumblingbuffoon

I agree he looked shockingly unwell at the end. You could see the people he was interviewing that were getting help were trying not to eye roll at his obvious denial. The way he kept saying "I am in control of this, it doesn't control me" was very telling because clearly that was not the case.

I hope he can find the help he needs

(and accept it)

DoctorTwo
I appreciate how difficult it must have been for you to write that. I really hope you can get to a place where you can get help and support. Hopefully Freddie's story has helped you see you're not alone in this