Late Late Show viewers praise Angela Scanlon for 'powerful' interview about anorexia battle

The broadcaster, author, and self-described messer joined Patrick Kielty to chat about lending her voice and support to a very important upcoming documentary on RTÉ One.

By: irishmirror.ie

Oct 11 2024
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4115 Views

Late Late Show viewers praise

RTÉ viewers praised Angela Scanlon as she opened up to Patrick Kielty on the Late Late Show about her own experience suffering from anorexia.

The broadcaster, author, and self-described messer joined Patrick to chat about stepping into Graham Norton's shoes, wowing audiences with her Argentine Tango and why she is lending her voice and support to a very important upcoming documentary on RTÉ One.

The documentary, called Anorexia: my Family and Me, will be airing on RTÉ next week. Having suffered with the illness for years herself, Angela shared some powerful words with Patrick for anyone struggling, RSVP Live.

"I struggled with anorexia and bulimia for 15 years," she told Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty.

"For me, it felt like a really important thing to do because I think it hasn't been spoken about very openly in very many forms.

“Certainly, when I was in the thick of it, I don't remember switching on the telly and ever feeling like there was a story that I could relate to or an experience depicted that was similar to what I was going through.".

Angela spoke about her struggle with anorexia and bulimia for the first time in her book and said that she hadn't opened up about it until then because she was nervous.

"Truthfully, I didn't know whether talking about it would bring it back or bring unwanted attention or scrutiny," she said.

"Maybe, if I'm honest I didn't feel strong enough to talk about it because you want a certain level of distance between it so that you can speak about it without being highly emotional or triggered."

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychological illness, and there is frighteningly little support in Ireland for anyone suffering from an eating disorder.

"That's all extremely bleak, on the one hand," Angela said.

"But I got over it, and there is so much hope. When I was in the middle of it, people said oh, you just have to deal with it, it's something you'll live with forever.

“I found that so infuriating at the time and it kind of became a turning point for me. I guess I would love for anyone sitting at home in the depths of it, in a lonely horrible place, to know that it's messy and it's complicated and it takes a long time, but that actually you can come out the other end."

Viewers were blown away by her honesty in highlighting such an important issue.

"Not an easy topic to talk about, but fair play to Angela Scanlon on being incredibly honest about her experience with an eating disorder. Patrick Kielty dealt with it very sensitively," wrote one viewer.

Another praised: "Well done Angela Scanlon."

"Very powerful contribution by Angela Scanlon on the lack of services for people with eating disorders and yet she gives others hope that people can come out the other end. She narrates the documentary Anorexia, my family and me on RTE on Monday," wrote a third.

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