Flintoff reveals his battle with bulimia
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has spoken up about his battle with an eating disorder during his career, telling Piers Morgan in a TV interview that he'd struggled with bulimia for much of his time as a player.
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has spoken up about his battle with an eating disorder during his career, telling Piers Morgan in a TV interview that he'd struggled with bulimia for much of his time as a player.
Flintoff had, in the past, discussed his fight against depression, but this revelation about his body image was a new one, and he said that he often made himself sick after the lunch break, before going back on the park.
Flintoff revealed: "I can't remember the first time. But I did it when I had eaten something which I thought 'I'm going to put weight on with this', or I had too much to drink.
"That's when it started. Then it slowly crept in more and more. I was on tour in India and I was doing it a lot. I was doing it at lunchtime.
"I would come off (the pitch), have something to eat and then I would go and bowl again. I've done it at lunchtime a few times. In India I would have a curry and naan bread and then end up in the toilet.
"I was cautious – you looked to see if there was anybody in the toilet with you and then you would find somewhere to go."
He added that he'd wanted to ask for help when a dietician addressed the England team, but backed out when she made the comment that she doubted anyone in the dressing room would have such an issue.
He said: "There was a woman who was a dietician, and she started saying about diet and how she dealt with models, actors and athletes who have had eating disorders.
"I thought 'I can have a chat with her afterwards' and then she said. 'but I can't imagine there is any of that in here' so I thought, 'I can't say anything now'.
"I thought I couldn't really tell anyone because of the world I was in – professional sport, you don't want to give anything away. You almost want to come across as being bullet-proof, and that was part of my make-up."
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