Celebrities with Eating Disorders

Demi Lovato

(IMDb)

Demi Lovato is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is best known for her role as Mitchie Torres in the musical film Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010). Her success as a singer includes a Grammy nomination for her fifth album, Confident, and the lead single “Sorry Not Sorry” from her album Tell Me You Love Me, which became the highest-charting single in the United States.

Demi Lovato has struggled with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa since the age of 12. (Women’s Health, 2021) The singer told The New York Times in 2021 she believes her diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder is incorrect, and that she actually lives with ADHD. Her misdiagnosis of Bipolar Disorder demonstrates how commonly ADHD’s role in emotional dysregulation is overlooked, especially in women. (Quinn et al., 2014)

Lovato also claims her relapse in 2018 with regards to both her drug abuse and eating disorder, was partly due to her sense of perfectionism that surfaced from the immense pressure she experienced as a growing star. (“Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil,” 2021). This is no surprise, considering people with ADHD, especially those in whom it is undiagnosed, tend to indulge in addictive behaviors in order to “self-medicate” to alleviate their symptoms (National Institute of Health, 2023).

Hilary Duff

(Broadimage/Shutterstock)

Hilary Duff is an American actress, author and singer. She became famous at a young age as the main character in the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire from 2001 to 2004 and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Duff successfully transitioned from teen idol and has appeared in numerous movies and TV series. She has also released five albums, topping the Billboard 200 Chart, with Metamorphosis. Additionally, she has co-authored a trilogy of New York Times best-selling novels and is involved in various businesses, including fashion lines, cosmetics, eye glasses, and children’s products. Duff’s awards include 7 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, 4 Teen Choice Awards, and 2 Young Artist Awards.

Duff has said that her childhood was quite difficult due to her dyslexia and ADHD, which includes hyperactivity and with which she was diagnosed in the 1st grade. She continues to take medications for ADHD as an adult. (HoodMWR, 2023) Duff has also struggled with anorexia. She has stated that towards the end of the run of Lizzie McGuire, at 17 years old, she weighed only 96 lbs and was obsessed with food and being skinny. (People Magazine, 2022) Duff now has three children and says she has learned to embrace her naturally athletic frame.

Camila Mendes

(Allure Magazine)

Camila Mendes is an American actress and singer. Mendes is best known for portraying Veronica Lodge on The CW teen drama series Riverdale, for which she won the Teen Choice Award in 2017. With two Brazilian parents, Camila grew up as a Latina in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Camila Mendes has shared that starring in Riverdale fueled her eating disorder. Seeing herself on the big screen heightened previous insecurities about her body, and she soon became afraid of eating carbs, according to a statement she gave to Palm Springs. Mendes’s restricted eating led to binge eating episodes followed by purging. (The Hollywood Reporter, 2023) It can be inferred that the star's ADHD, which she discussed in an interview with New York Magazine in 2022, contributes to these episodes: impulsivity, a symptom of ADHD, can be tied to her difficulty in regulating her eating. Mendes has shared how her nutritionist helped her overcome this cycle of binge eating and Bulimia Nervosa by reintroducing bread into her life. (Hollywood Reporter, 2023)

Mendes explains how she manages her ADHD (New York Magazine, 2022): after describing the stress she feels when everything seems to “be all over the place,” she says she developed a habit of being extra organized in her daily life as a result. In addition to using a color-coded Google Calendar, Mendes states she is happiest when she is her busiest and most productive self. Feeling a sense of magnified discomfort with regards to transitions is a symptom of ADHD, and Mendes follows a system of establishing a routine every time her situation changes. It seems Mendes has reallocated her need for control to her schedule, which is much healthier than focusing it on her diet.

Russell Brand

(IMDb)

Note: Russell Brand has recently been accused by several women of rape, sexual assault, emotional abuse and innappropriate workplace behavior. Brand has denied these allegations and claims all his relationships have been consensual. (NBC News, 2023)

Russell Brand is an English comedian and actor. Brand is infamous for his flamboyant style and manner and has won three British Comedy Awards. As an actor, Brand is best known for his role as Aldous Snow in the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008).

In his early childhood, Russel Brand was diagnosed with ADHD and also struggled with a binge eating disorder. By the age of 14, his eating disorder had developed into Bulimia Nervosa. (The Guardian, 2017) Brand’s story is rare in that eating disorders tend to be associated with girls and women.

In a 2022 YouTube video, Russell also shares the hopelessness that comes with drug addiction. A possible parallel can be drawn between drug abuse and the star’s eating disorder.