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Nadia Sawalha reveals details of 'devastating' body shaming incident

The Loose Women star said the comments had 'haunted' her for years

nadia sawalha march 2018
Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
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Nadia Sawalha has revealed that she was haunted "for years" by a passing comment made about her weight. In a new interview with the Sun, the Loose Women star confessed she was left "devastated" after being compared to her younger sister, actress Julia Sawalha. She recalled: "I was doing a sitcom. I was 9 stone, 7lbs and my sister was in the show as well, and very, very thin. The wardrobe mistress said to me, 'You're such a difficult size, you're nothing like your sister.' I was devastated. It haunted me for years, that."

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Nadia Sawalha has spoken about a 'devastating' body shaming incident from her past

Nadia, 53, has spoken openly about her weight struggles in the past, admitting that losing four stone for her 2010 fitness DVD made her "miserable". In September last year, she confessed that she had an 'addiction' to food. "It's what I call emotional eating," Nadia, 52, told Best magazine. "You can be addicted to anything, but people don't seem to agree that you can be addicted to food. I am happy now, but every day I meditate and exercise – I have things in place to help me stay on track."

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The mother-of-two explained that she would use food as an emotional crutch. "It's my favourite drug," she admitted. "If I was sad, lonely, nervous, I'd turn to food. It wasn't until I went to Overeaters Anonymous that I realised it was a 'thing'. It doesn't mean I never binge, but it doesn't get a grip on me like it used to, because I recognise it. If you're stressed and reaching for biscuits, the worst thing you can do is give in."

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