My Secret Past

Presenter and journalist Kate Thornton looks back on the time she suffered from anorexia, a condition that still affects a growing number of teenagers today. When Kate was 11, she developed anorexia and suffered with it until she was 15. For 25 years, she has been running away from it, but with her 40th birthday just a year away, she has decided it is time she finally came to terms with it. Kate faces up to some uncomfortable memories from her past, talking to her brother and closest friends to find out what they remember of her lies, her vomiting and her skeletal figure. She is shocked by what she finds out and horrified at the pain she caused her family. Kate also consults experts to find out the latest information and facts on anorexia. With the emphasis on looking good and even greater peer pressure today, anorexia amongst teens is on the increase, and Kate hopes that her experiences can help other sufferers. Also keen to discover how young people today deal with their eating disorders, she visits homes and clinics and takes a special interest in 18-year-old Megan, a girl just in recovery. Can Kate help Megan over the last hurdles? And what can Megan teach Kate about dealing with anorexia?

Glamour model, reality TV star and body builder Jodie Marsh tells the full story of what effect bullying had on her and how it has made her the person she is today. Jodie faces up to some uncomfortable memories from her time at school. It is an emotional journey that sees her exploring beyond the boundaries of her native Brentwood to uncover the true extent of bullying and its impact on its victims. When Jodie was at primary school her nose was broken during a hockey match. At secondary school her crooked nose was crooked became the subject of bullies’ taunts. Constant verbal abuse led Jodie to contemplate suicide and caused her parents to offer her a nose job when she was 15. It made no difference and the bullying continued until her parents removed her from school. With her own personal experience in mind, Jodie connects with some of today’s young victims of bullying. How does it affect them and what support do they receive? How do schools deal with bullying now compared to when Jodie was at school? Is their approach effective? Jodie knows that bullying experienced at school can affect people for the rest of their lives, and she wants to help others recover from the psychological damage more quickly than she did.