Lily Collins Posts About Overcoming Eating Disorder For Awareness Week

Actress Lily Collins opened up about her past eating disorder in time for Eating Disorder Awareness Week. The actress reflected on her own struggles, sharing a message to boost awareness, encourage understanding, and support others who’re navigating similar challenges.

To commemorate Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 23 to March 1, 2026), Collins took to Instagram Stories to share her experience with the condition. In her post, she shared that she has all the time been an advocate for “awareness and understanding” of eating disorders.

The 36-year-old actress has been open about her past struggles so others haven’t got to undergo it alone, while also acknowledging that recovering is an “ongoing process” that will look different for all and sundry.

As Collins wrote, sharing the challenges she faced was “terrifying but rewarding.” “If each time I share my story it helps even one person on their recovery journey, it’s beyond value it,” she concluded the post.

In 2017, Collins played the role of Ellen, a young woman battling anorexia, within the Netflix movie “To the Bone.” It was written and directed by Marti Noxon, who also had an eating disorder.

When Collins was approached for the role, she had fears of relapsing, but she ultimately knew that guidance could be provided while filming. Furthermore, she decided to play the role not just for herself, but “for other young people going through it on the market,” per Refinery29.

Since she needed to reduce weight for the movie, a nutritionist made sure she took supplements to make sure she got the nutrients her body needed. Furthermore, Collins explained that there wasn’t a goal weight for her. “I used to be hired as an actor. I wasn’t hired for my image. This was something I needed to remind myself of,” she added.

Because the actress said in 2017, she needed to also mentally prepare for portraying Ellen, sharing that she attended Anorexic Anonymous. The actress struggled with anorexia and bulimia in her teens, and the movie gave her the chance to openly discuss what she went through.

Initially, Collins had the fear of being judged, but as a substitute, the method was “healing.” “For me to have the opportunity to speak openly about my history with them for the primary time was something that was so healing for me in a way that I would not have expected,” she explained.

By preparing for her role, Collins was capable of move past her identity of being the “girl with the disorder” and confront her past struggles on her own terms.

Collins released her memoir, “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me,” in 2017, where she wrote about body image, relationships, and other experiences through essays. One among the topics she touched on was her eating disorder and when it began.

At 16 years old, Collins juggled various things in her life, including modeling and acting, in addition to her father Phil Collins’ divorce from her stepmother. “Eating was now not a fun social event, but as a substitute a chore and a punishment. I used to be exhausted and antsy and b-tchy on a regular basis. I sure as hell wasn’t much fun. But my plan was working! I used to be on top of things! I used to be skinny,” she wrote.

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Collins shared that with the chaos in her life at the moment, the one thing she could control was her food intake. Despite not searching for treatment, the actress was capable of overcome her eating disorder.

In February, the “Emily in Paris” actress revealed that she might be playing the role of Audrey Hepburn in a movie in regards to the making of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” “Honored and ecstatic don’t begin to precise how I feel…” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photograph of the late actress.

In an interview with People, Collins’ father-in-law, actor Malcolm McDowell, was all praise for the actress, describing her as “delightful” and “improbable.”

“I like watching her – she’s got that Audrey Hepburn sort of thing going, which is indefinable in a way, but it surely’s there,” he added.