Stacy London. (Bennett Raglin/WireImage)It's an issue that is no stranger to the fashion world, although typically it affects models. But TLC's "What Not to Wear" makeover maven Stacy London reveals in her new book, The Truth About Style, that she struggled with both anorexia and overeating for years. In an interview with People magazine, the 43-year-old explains that it all began when she was in her early '20s and she simply "wanted to be attractive" since she had never had a serious boyfriend.
Before long, London's dieting sent her weight plummeting down to a skeletal 90 pounds (at 5'7", a typical weight would be around 135-150 pounds), landing her in the hospital. But after a brief stay, her health improved and she began eating again … only to then begin to overindulge. The result was just as shocking as her weight loss: she ballooned to 180 pounds, double her weight, within a year.
London, who has been hosting "WNTW" since 2003, tells People that she hopes sharing her secret struggle will help those with similar issues. "When you can talk about something and shine light on it, you're obliterating shame," she says. "And that to me was always the really hard part — to feel so filled with shame and having no recourse to thinking it could get better … my value doesn't simply come from [being thin]. It comes from me and solely from me. It took me a long time to recognize that."
All these years later, London still has her ups and downs. In a 2008 interview with Diablo magazine, she admitted that her cat's poor health, paired with quitting smoking, caused her to gain 15 pounds in three months. "I've had weight issues my whole life," she said. "I've been a [size] 00 and a [size] 16. But this time, I didn't know what to do — it really changed my perspective on how I saw myself."
The Truth About Style hits bookshelves October 2.
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