Katie Couric Bulimia: Host Reveals Struggle During Her College Years
Katie Couric revealed on her daytime talk show on Monday, Sept. 24, that she struggled with bulimia in her early 20s.
During a talk with her guest, "X Factor" judge Demi Lovato, she admitted that she battled with an eating disorder while in college. Lovato herself was treated for "emotional and physical issues" in 2010, according to the Daily News.
Couric said the following:
"I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that. And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that's wrong, you're full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it's one cookie or a stick of gum that isn't sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that.
"How do you have a healthy relationship with food, and say, 'You know what, I can have one cookie and it's okay?' That is such a huge thing for people who wrestle with this.' "
Couric, 55, said she battled bulimia between the ages of 18 and 24 while at the University of Virginia, the publication reported. She suffered with the same bit when she started as a TV reporter but eventually overcame it with the help of a therapist.
Lovato, 19, dealt with similar issues. Not only did she battle an eating disorder, but she admitted to cutting herself as well.
"There were times I felt so anxious, almost like I was crawling out of my skin - that if I didn't do something physical to match the way I felt inside, I would explode," she said in Self magazine's August issue. "I cut myself to take my mind off that. I just didn't care what happened. I had no fear."
Lovato also said she is still in the process of healing, though she has come a long way already.
"I make time for myself and meditate," she said. "I've spent the past two years getting over an eating disorder and issues like self-harming and bipolar disorder. I have to work on this stuff every day. I'm reminded of that whenever I eat or feel down."
