Frankie Essex reveals she’s STILL not happy with her body despite getting rid of saggy belly and losing two stone
Former Towie star fears she would put all her weight back on if she stopped going to the gym
FRANKIE Essex is worried she has body dysmorphia.
The former Towie star has been working hard in the last few months to lose two stone and her self-described "saggy belly".
"Even now, I'm like, 'Oh, I feel really bloated', and I get on the scales and I'm 10st 1lb, so I must have a bit of body dysmorphia.
"I'm not toned. Even though I've lost the weight, I've got to tone up."
Before starting on her fitness regime, Frankie weighed 12st 8lbs, but after seeing unflattering pictures of herself on holiday in an orange bikini, she knew she had to make a change.
But it wasn't just her physical self which needed some care and attention, it was her mental health too - revealing she had felt suicidal 12 months ago.
Frankie was put on antidepressants by her doctor in April 2015 but now feels like she doesn’t need to take them after claiming exercise has helped her get into a healthier head space.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun Online, Frankie who lost her mum to suicide when she was 13, said: “This time last year I didn’t want to wake up the next day, I couldn’t get out of bed.
“Drink for me is a depressant and if I had a drink and wake up on my own and not know what to do with myself so I’d just sit in everyday, eat and just think about the bad times and the sh*t times and feel sorry for myself.
“But that’s pointless, it’s just going back in time, I’ve learnt that you need to move on and grow up. It’s easy to just say that, but I’ve had to retrain my mind.
“Training has changed everything, sweating makes me feel great and the endorphins that cardio releases leave me on a natural high.
“I’ve not been to counselling, I went to one person once to speak about stuff and I’ve actually learnt this myself. I’m off antidepressants, I’ve done this on my own.”
Now that she is more in control of her body and mind, Frankie feels able to enjoy the occasional drink without spiralling into a dark place.
She told New! with a laugh: "I've just got back from Ibiza so I've definitely not cut out alcohol, [but] I've stopped drinking wine.
"I drink vodka, fizzy water and lime. I'm just not eating as much food.
"Whatever you put in front of me, I'll eat, so I've just got to learn to have smaller portions."