Christine McGuiness has opened up about suffering from an eating disorder from a young age.
The mum-of-three suffered from anorexia from the age of 14, stating that she struggled to eat any meals at school.
Speaking to Lorraine on Tuesday morning, she said: "A lot of the time girls will be diagnosed with other things, whether they're just shy, hormonal or fussy eaters rather than actually being diagnosed as autistic.
"I didn't really feel comfortable in the canteen [in school], I didn't really like the smell, the texture of the food, but I was happy to eat, I had no problems with body image, I don't think that had ever crossed my mind at that age as I was so young.
"It was all my senses around it, and that's why I stopped eating and sadly that did spiral into an eating disorder and I had anorexia on and off for over a decade.
"I think because I was a young teenage girl, everybody would assume it's obviously to do with body image and she just wants to stay slim but now I understand it, I'm trying a lot more. I'm going to restaurants that I'm not really comfortable in and I'll ask for my food to be made a little bit plainer so I can sit and eat with everyone."
It comes after the star opened up about her past in BBC documentary Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism, in which she traced the link between her autism diagnosis, her childhood eating disorder, teenage sexual abuse and her marriage to Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness.
The duo share three children together who have also been diagnosed with autism. They separated last summer after 15 years of marriage.
In the documentary, Christine shared how ‘petrified’ she is as an ‘extremely vulnerable’ single parent, later opening up about her harrowing experiences of sexual abuse.
She elsewhere talked about suffering from an eating disorder, and her anorexia battle into adulthood.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire star said: "I grew up in Liverpool on a big council estate with my mum and two siblings, and I have really happy memories of my early childhood.
"But certainly, back in the 90s, there was no understanding of autism."
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