Love Island star Zara McDermott has vowed to change the content she uploads on social media after fans complained about her documentary.
Viewers of her documentary, Disordered Eating, called the project 'tone-deaf' as she explored the impact of influencers' posts on people struggling with eating disorders.
However, some viewers praised the reality star for understanding she was 'part of the problem and wanting to fix it.'
The 25-year-old appeared on BBC Breakfast on Friday and discussed the impact of social media posts.
She told presenters Charlie Stayt and Tina De Healy that she was 'trolled quite badly' due to her weight when she finished Love Island.
"I wasn't the smallest girl there but I was a perfectly healthy weight but sadly the trolls decided to tell me I was too big," she said.
Zara added: "I then went on my own health and fitness journey and lost some weight as a result of that.
"I wasn't suffering from an eating disorder myself but I knew there was a massive demand for weight loss content so I was just posting not knowing the detrimental impact it was having on my followers. I was just meeting the demands for that content."
She was asked to elaborate on what the 'detrimental impact' was and she said that social media can 'have a huge impact on the development [of eating disorders]' and that her posts and many others could have 'triggered' someone.
Zara explained: "It's tough because I want to share my life I'm still passionate about eating healthy but it's about finding that balance in life."
The TV personality added that posting bikini pictures 'every once in a while' is fine as long as it's not your entire page.
"It's about body image and showing your personality and the things you love, not just how you look," she said.
"I think even though I thought I was prepared for it nothing can prepare you for those conversations. It's very rare you sit down with the most vulnerable people in society and reflect on it so it was really eye opening and it's changed my view of myself and the content I put out and also I don't think I knew exactly what the trigger points were but now I do," Zara told the presenters.
Going forward, the star will be more mindful of what she posts, avoiding sharing her exact diet and workout routines in order to avoid people 'emulating' it.
Get all the biggest showbiz news straight into your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror Showbiz newsletter.
"I also have a responsibility it's a bit of a tightrope because I want to share my life but I have to be mindful hat there's millions of people watching what I do and I don't want to trigger someone who's really vulnerable so it's about finding that perfect balance," she said.
In the documentary, she explored her weight loss journey, eating disorders, and the impact of social media.
She was just 21 and a healthy 10st 7lbs when she left Love Island, but that didn’t stop evil social media users from flooding her with negative comments which made her feel “horrendous”.
Zara said she went from being an “innocent 21-year-old who never looked in the mirror or over-analysed her body” to second-guessing herself and thinking she should start viewing herself in a different light because others were.
*For help and support on eating disorders contact Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033.
