Billie Piper opens up about eating disorders during her teen fame

She was just 14 when she rose to fame

Billie Piper

by Marianna Manson |
Updated on

Teenaged pop sensation turned multi-award winning actress turned writer and producer Billie Piper has opened up about lifelong struggles with her mental health in a searingly honest essay.

“Rarely are our mental health issues an anthology of unconnected short stories, but rather different chapters of the same book,” she wrote.

Billie Piper
Billie during her pop heyday ©Getty

Speaking about her debut into the limelight age 14as “the surreal world of underage pop starlet”, the mum of three went on to say that her childhood propensity with neatness and “overachieving” morphed into an eating disorder, and then later, an “addiction to work”.

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S Club Juniors: Where are they now? CLOSER - SLIDER with cover pic

S Club1 of 9
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S Club

Frankie Bridge2 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images & Instagram / francescabridge

Frankie Bridge

After the devastating spilt, Frankie stayed signed to Polydor records and 2007 marked the year when she joined mega girlband The Saturdays with her bandmate Rochelle Humes.The Saturday's had a string of top 10 hits and are currently on a break to focus on other aspects of their careers and family life.During her time off, Frankie has had two adorable little boys with footballer Wayne Bridge and was a runner up in Strictly Come Dancing!

Rochelle Humes3 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images

Rochelle Humes

Apart from presenting kids TV show Smile, joining The Saturdays, launching her very own clothing line with Very, landing BIG presenting gigs on The Xtra Factor and Ninja Warrior UK - she hasn't really been that busy...Rochelle also married JLS singer, Marvin Humes, and they have two adorable little girls called Alaia-Mai and Valentina.

Calvin Goldspink4 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images

Calvin Goldspink

Calvin made the move to LA back in 2007 and has never looked back since. While he's been there, he has been managed by Joe Simpson - Ashlee Simpson's dad - and played James Middleton in a film called William and Kate which was a smash hit in the states.He has also revealed an EP entitled The Lemon Tree.

Stacey McClean5 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images & Instagram / cecefranks

Stacey McClean

Stacey stuck to her dreams of being a singer and entered The X Factor in 2009, reaching the judges house stage, when Dannii Minoque was her mentor.She previously told the Daily Mail that she'd very much like to rejuvenate her career, with Rochelle and Frankie being her key inspiration:"[Rochelle and Frankie] have given me the inspiration to make a come back with my career. I'm so excited 2016 has lots of projects lined up with modelling, presenting and singing.. watch this space."She also married Stevenage footballer Fraser Franks in 2017 and was quick to slam reports that her wedding day ended with her going to bed early without her husband. She posted an adorable photo from their wedding and wrote: " It's amazing how wrong the press can be, but let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story."

Jay Perry/Asforis6 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images & Instagram / mrjayperry

Jay Perry/Asforis

Jay has enjoyed a lucractive career on the West End over the years. He's toured the UK in Save The Last Dance For Me, Hairspray and Beautiful - The Carole King Story.It's safe to say that Jay and Rochelle are still pals; every now and then they'll support each other on Twitter.It's all very cute.

Aaron Renfree7 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images

Aaron Renfree

Aaron definitely knows how to groove - he's enjoyed a HUGE career in choreography and as a backing dancer for The Saturdays, The Voice and The X Factor.

Daisy Evans8 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images

Daisy Evans

After her S Club Junior days, Daisy joined a band called From Above which had their musical journey documented in US reality show Breaking From Above and the band got through to the bootcamp stages of The X Factor in 2011.Daisy is married to Newcastle United footballer Jonjo Shelvey and they have one child together.

Hannah Richings9 of 9
CREDIT: Getty Images & Instagram / hlrichings

Hannah Richings

Hannah gave a solo career a shot back in 2006 but has since dissapeared from the limelight completely. She has three BEAUTIFUL children and now has her own online business.

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“It was 2000 when I passed out in a Covent Garden club – ‘foaming at the mouth’, apparently, but I have no reason to believe that. Bit inflammatory, bit hysterical eyewitness,” she wrote.

“My ‘dramatic turn’ – as I liked to call it – was a result of days of Diet Cokes and Marlboro Lights fuelling a very active eating disorder, cystitis that crept up my back and into my kidneys, a goblet of sweet white wine and a mind and body dissociation that I feared for the very first time.

“I can admit I still don’t know what I want in life. I’m 38 and, beyond the essentials – my partner and my children – I still don’t know. I read scripts all about women who are confident and clear about what they want and I don’t relate at all.”

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In the essay for Elle UK, she continued, “And so maybe I still find myself trying to exhaust all options. I filmed Rare Beasts when I was pregnant with my daughter Tallulah. I was editing when I went into labour, had two weeks off, then took Tallulah into work with me. Part of me looks back and thinks, 'Well done you'. But mostly, I just think, 'What a f*cking idiot'.”

Following her divorce from second husband, actor Lawrence Fox, Billie became a single mum to their two sons, Eugene and Winston. In 2019 she welcomed a daughter, Tallulah, with her rocker boyfriend Johnny Lloyd, former frontman of indie band Tribes, who she’s been dating since 2016.

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