Liz Jones has worked as a journalist in the UK since 1981. She began her career as a fashion columnist and later became a feature writer, sharing many aspects of her life. Jones has contributed to Marie Claire, The Sunday Times, and The Evening Standard. On July 19, the Daily Mail published her latest column, which offers a candid and raw portrayal of her battle with anorexia, a condition that began when she was 11 years old.

"Standing in line for the tills behind a family with two groaning trolleys, I say, out loud: 'How can you possibly eat all that?' Because food is still anathema to me. The common belief is that anorexia is a young woman's disease. You either tragically die or, given time, you come to your senses. What people rarely consider is what happens when you don't recover," recounts Jones in her column. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

The journalist confesses, "I might work, be fit enough to walk my dogs at speed for an hour twice a day and muck out my horses, but at 65, I remain an anorexic — as I have been since the age of 11." The story Jones describes is bitter, devoid of any sweetness, and there's no room for it on her plate as well.

"Last year, I underwent a bone density scan that revealed signs of osteoporosis — where your bones resemble an Aero chocolate bar, something I've never eaten — in my spine. This was the result of decades of under-eating and a diet lacking in calcium," she continues.

"Because of my eating disorder, my weight was so low I was incapable of ovulating. But even if I had been able to conceive, the prospect of not being in control of my body shape during pregnancy terrified me," Jones explained, revealing less known consequences of living with anorexia.

The journalist also acknowledged that her relationships with others were negatively impacted. She wrote: "Old anorexics make horrendous spouses as we're so rigid, fearful you might have cooked something in butter or added chocolate to a chilli dish." She also doesn’t get invited to food-related parties or events. "Oh, we didn't invite you to the barbecue as we know you won't eat," Jones often hears.

The hardest thing for healthy people to understand is how the mind of a person with anorexia works. Jones confesses: "Rationally, I know I'm not fulfilled or happy. I watch MasterChef, or see a family out for lunch, and I envy the pleasure people take from food. But even now, I find the idea of being fat repulsive; I often have nightmares where I've developed hips, a spare tyre. I'm pleased when a sample size eight still fits me." Unfortunately, she doesn’t get support from people around her. Hearing her story, people tend to say, 'Oh, you can wear anything! Yay!'. "No one cares that you take no pleasure in life," Jones adds.

Jones also comments on a body-positivity trend: "The fact so many once curvy role models — Adele, Rebel Wilson, Oprah — have shrunk, as though placed in a hot wash, makes my anorexic brain wonder if women still envy skinny, despite the body-positivity movement. Whether I am right to be thin, after all?"

She answers the latter question with brutal honesty: "Seriously, though, why would you want to be someone like me, never knowing what it's like to be truly satiated, never to know the pleasure of olive oil, pasta, risotto or even an ice cream on a hot day."

Source: dailymail.co.uk