Lily Allen makes brave mental health admission as singer admits she’s ‘stopped eating’: ‘Not in a great place’
Singer Lily Allen has revealed she is “not in a great place mentally” and has stopped eating, as she undergoes therapy following her relocation to New York.
The 39-year-old star made the candid admission on her podcast Miss Me?, which she co-hosts with best friend Miquita Oliver.
Allen, who moved to America with her husband David Harbour and daughters Ethel Mary, 13, and Marnie Rose, 11, disclosed that her eating “has become an issue” over recent months.
Speaking on her podcast, Allen revealed her therapist questioned why she hadn’t previously discussed her eating issues, which have persisted for three years.
“It’s not because I’m lying about it. It’s just because it’s not seemed at the top of the list of important things that I need to talk about, but obviously it is,” the singer explained.
The star admitted that her ADHD diagnosis affects her ability to link different aspects of her life together.
Allen described experiencing a profound disconnect between her body and brain, explaining: “I spend a lot of time in my head, and not a lot of time thinking about my body.
“I’m not hungry. I obviously am hungry, but my body and brain are so disconnected from each other that my body… the messages of hunger are not going through my body to my brain,” she revealed.
The singer clarified that she isn’t actively avoiding food, but rather not thinking about it because she’s “so in my head.”
In therapy sessions, Allen discussed how her eating patterns weren’t initially prioritised as a concern to address.
Last year, Allen shared that she often forgets to eat and struggles with meals that haven’t been “ordered and made for me.”
She also revealed that her stomach can go “long distances without eating” as she gets distracted by looking after her two daughters.
In March this year, Allen explained her decision to relocate to New York, citing a more encouraging environment for her children to thrive.
Speaking on her BBC Sounds podcast, she contrasted American and British attitudes, noting: “When I would tell Americans about it, they’d be like: ‘Oh my God, that’s so exciting! You’re gonna learn so much, you’re gonna kill it!'”
She observed that British people were more likely to respond with scepticism, highlighting the cultural differences that influenced her move.
Her therapy admission comes weeks after she revealed that leaving her children for work trips to London is her guilty pleasure.
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Speaking on her podcast once again, she admitted: “Sometimes when I’ve been in New York with the kids for a month and David hasn’t been around and I know I’ve got a trip planned somewhere.
“I’ll get out of the door and just, ‘ahhhhh’,” she said, mimicking a sigh of relief.
However, she revealed that her guilt soon set in and added, “But then I’ll get out the door, and half an hour later, I feel guilty. Not even half an hour, 20 minutes, maybe 10, maybe five, maybe as soon as I walk across the threshold.”