Princess Diana's battle with bulimia depicted in new children's book which describes how she developed eating disorder

10 August 2023, 10:23

A new children's book in the Little People, Big Dreams series depicts Princess Diana battling with bulimia as she managed her sadness at learning her husband was in love with someone else
A new children's book in the Little People, Big Dreams series depicts Princess Diana battling with bulimia as she managed her sadness at learning her husband was in love with someone else. Picture: social media

By StephenRigley

Princess Diana's fight with bulimia has been depicted in a new children's book which tackles the topic of eating disorders.

The new book in the Little People, Big Dreams series, which is due to be published on September 7, will tell young readers about the much-loved princess and her life in the royal family.

The book by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara will claim Diana's eating disorder developed when she learnt her husband, King Charles, was in love with another woman.

The Telegraph reports the biography features a description of the eating disorder that Diana suffered from, saying: “Whenever she felt alone, she sought relief by eating all the cakes she could find in the royal kitchens.”

It goes on to describe bulimia in more detail, saying: “But that sweet feeling of comfort didn’t last long. Once it was gone, she would try to get rid of all the food she had eaten by making herself sick.”

One page in the book also says how “even though her life seemed to be taken from the pages of a fairy tale, she soon realised that the prince’s heart belonged to someone else… Over time that sadness grew into an eating disorder called bulimia.”

“It took her time to seek help, learn to love herself and stop hurting her body. But once she did, she felt better than ever,” the book goes on to say.

However, the author notes that the princess “was one of the first famous people to speak up about her struggle with bulimia, helping others to confront it, too”.

Princess Diana first opened up about her eating disorder in 1995 during a notorious BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.

In the same interview, she revealed she had been self harming in the years following her split from Charles.

She told the disgraced journalist: "I'd come home and it would be very difficult to know how to comfort myself having been comforting lots of other people, so it would be a regular pattern to jump into the fridge."

Diana added the eating disorder was a "symptom" of the marriage problems she had been having - and argued she was "crying out for help" but didn't receive the support she needed, instead being branded "unstable".

Tom Quinn, director of external affairs for eating disorder charity Beat, told the newspaper: "We advise that writers avoid going into detail about eating disorder behaviours, calories or weights as this can worsen symptoms for somebody who is unwell, or contribute to an eating disorder developing if someone is vulnerable."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

billy nighy

Billy Nighy 'stole complete works of Shakespeare from library' to prepare for drama school audition

v

Winner in Conservative leadership contest to be announced this morning

Palma is on lockdown amid warnings of heavy rain

Majorca on lockdown as tourist hotspot faces flooding horror after storm kills more than 200

UK GP visiting senior woman at home

Care homes and GPs could face closure under Labour tax plans, health leaders warn

Rebekah Vardy 'threatens to reignite war with Coleen Rooney'

Rebekah Vardy launches appeal against Wagatha Christie £1.8m costs ruling

Alexandra Palace Hosts Its Annual Fireworks Display Ahead Of Bonfire Night

Bonfire night 2024 forecast: What will the weather be like for fireworks night?

Darrian Williams

Two teen boys found guilty after 16-year-old stabbed to death by masked attackers in Bristol park

Westminster Protest

'Betrayed' farmers to protest over Labour's inheritance tax raid - as Chancellor insists changes are 'fair'

The teen was left to die by the side of road.

Six teenagers arrested after 13-year-old girl left with life-threatening injuries in East Yorkshire stabbing

Israel claims to have killed a high-ranking member of Hamas

Israel 'eliminates' one of Hamas' last high-ranking officials

Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

King Charles 'finally cuts Prince Andrew off' as he 'axes Duke's annual £1m allowance'

Claw hammer-wielding public schoolboy who attacked sleeping students and teacher handed life sentence

Pictured: Public schoolboy, 17, who attacked sleeping students and teacher with hammers he kept 'for zombie apocalypse'

Emergency and rescue personnel work at the site where a concrete outdoor roof of a train station collapsed in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad

Train station canopy collapses in Serbia, killing 8 people in horror accident, with more victims still trapped in rubble

The passengers was fined £48 despite their bag fitting.

Air passenger shames easyJet on TikTok after he was charged £48 for carry-on bag that fit perfectly into size checker

Gabriel Silvera and  Dragos Carabineanu

Thug kills father with one punch after being asked for a cigarette outside Tube station

File photo dated 26/07/24 of Ben Stokes. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, England’s Test and limited-overs captains respectively, have each signed new two-year central contracts. Issue date: Thursday October 31, 2024.

Man arrested after home of England cricket captain Ben Stokes raided by masked burglars