Lily Collins Posts About Overcoming Eating Disorder For Awareness Week

Actress Lily Collins opened up about her past eating disorder in time for Eating Disorder Awareness Week. The actress reflected on her own struggles, sharing a message to raise awareness, encourage understanding, and support others who are navigating similar challenges.

To commemorate Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 23 to March 1, 2026), Collins took to Instagram Stories to share her experience with the condition. In her post, she shared that she has always been an advocate for “awareness and understanding” of eating disorders.

The 36-year-old actress has been open about her past struggles so others don’t have to go through it alone, while also acknowledging that recovering is an “ongoing process” that may look different for each person.

As Collins wrote, sharing the challenges she faced was “terrifying but rewarding.” “If every time I share my story it helps even one person on their recovery journey, it is beyond worth it,” she concluded the post.

In 2017, Collins played the role of Ellen, a young woman battling anorexia, in the Netflix movie “To the Bone.” It was written and directed by Marti Noxon, who also had an eating disorder.

When Collins was approached for the role, she had fears of relapsing, but she ultimately knew that guidance would be provided while filming. Moreover, she decided to play the role not only for herself, but “for other young people going through it out there,” per Refinery29.

Since she had to lose weight for the movie, a nutritionist made sure she took supplements to ensure she got the nutrients her body needed. Moreover, Collins explained that there wasn’t a target weight for her. “I was hired as an actor. I wasn’t hired for my image. This was something I had to remind myself of,” she added.

As the actress said in 2017, she had to also mentally prepare for portraying Ellen, sharing that she attended Anorexic Anonymous. The actress struggled with anorexia and bulimia in her teens, and the movie gave her the opportunity to openly talk about what she went through.

Initially, Collins had the fear of being judged, but instead, the process was “healing.” “For me to be able to talk openly about my history with them for the first time was something that was so healing for me in a way that I wouldn’t have expected,” she explained.

By preparing for her role, Collins was able to move past her identity of being the “girl with the disorder” and confront her past struggles on her own terms.

Collins released her memoir, “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me,” in 2017, where she wrote about body image, relationships, and other experiences through essays. One of the topics she touched on was her eating disorder and when it started.

At 16 years old, Collins juggled different things in her life, including modeling and acting, as well as her father Phil Collins’ divorce from her stepmother. “Eating was no longer a fun social event, but instead a chore and a punishment. I was exhausted and antsy and b-tchy all the time. I sure as hell wasn’t much fun. But my plan was working! I was in control! I was skinny,” she wrote.

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Collins shared that with the chaos in her life at that time, the one thing she could control was her food intake. Despite not seeking treatment, the actress was able to overcome her eating disorder.