Freddie Flintoff thanks lovers following opening up about bulimia in documentary | United kingdom Information

Cricket star and Television presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff has thanked enthusiasts for their assistance immediately after opening up about his occupation-extended struggle with bulimia in a new documentary.

In Freddie Flintoff: Residing With Bulimia, which aired on Monday, the previous England captain mentioned he experienced endured from the ingesting ailment due to the fact becoming shamed for his visual appeal by the push in Britain at the start of his global career.

The 42-12 months-old star, who now hosts Top Equipment and appears as a team captain on comedy panel present A League Of Their Own, initial spoke about owning bulimia in 2014, but experienced never sought support with the issue right up until filming the programme.

Putting up a information on Twitter right after the display aired, he explained: “Thank you for the astounding reaction to tonight’s doc, ideally we have served elevate consciousness of these types of an vital matter.”

The BBC Just one documentary explored the effect of bulimia on Flintoff’s lifestyle, and why ingesting problems are usually so concealed and these a stigma, particularly for men.

The star explained his battle with the ailment had ongoing further than his enjoying profession, and that he had created himself ill immediately after ingesting as not long ago as in the final 12 months.

Next meetings with fellow ingesting disorder victims and medical gurus, he also reported he realised bulimia could have experienced an effect on his intercontinental taking part in profession, which came to an finish in 2009 when he was 31.

“I’ve hardly ever even considered about it, but then it affects all the things, will not it?,” Flintoff claimed. “Your joints, your bones – so it’s possible.”

Flintoff loved a vastly prosperous global vocation, most memorably serving to England to their very first Ashes victory in 18 yrs in 2005, in advance of helping his facet regain the urn 4 years later.

Having said that, speaking about the 2005 victory, he mentioned that he was generating himself sick at the time.

“The 1st Take a look at of that sequence, I was remaining sick,” he reported.

“Every person is conversing about how very well you might be undertaking, and there’s part of you that thinks, ‘it’s functioning, let us just crack on with it’.”

Possessing figured out how risky the condition can be, Flintoff explained he was considering looking for skilled assist likely forward.

“I you should not want to be a statistic,” he mentioned. “I don’t want to be examine about in many years to occur, that something’s happened to me.”

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Flintoff is not the very first male star to open up up about having an having dysfunction in modern decades.

In September 2019, Physician Who actor Christopher Eccleston revealed he experienced with anorexia though filming the sci-fi sequence and described himself as a “lifelong system-hater”.

Pursuing the documentary, viewers praised Flintoff on social media, with one thanking him for “opening up about your emotions with these honesty”, when a further explained: “I hope this allows you and other individuals to open up about your feelings and request assist, I do believe this documentary will help other adult men open up up. Perfectly carried out Fred.”