Anorexia cost me my health, my happiness and my chance of having a family: Woman tells of pain of half a CENTURY battling eating disorder that nearly killed her.

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Lifelong battle: Jacqueline Kemp, 64, has suffered from anorexia for more than half a century

A woman has told of her pain of battling anorexia for more than half a century - and how it has robbed her of her health, happiness and chance of having a family.
Jacqueline Kemp, 64, started losing weight in 1962 after feeling 'ugly' compared to her best friend at school.
Within months, she was in the grip of the eating disorder - with her weight soon plummeting to a tiny five stone.
However, with little help available for teenagers suffering from anorexia, Ms Kemp, from Dunfermline, Fife, never fully recovered.
At 5ft 5in tall, she has never weighed more than seven stone.
Now, more than 50 years after she first starved herself, Ms Kemp has spoken out about her lifetime of anorexia in a bid to help others.
'I have never been able to hold down a proper job as I was taking a cocktail of drugs to help with my anorexia and I spent most of my time as an out-patient at the hospital,' she said.
'I missed the chance to have my own family - I married anorexia and everything else came second.
'As much as I wanted to have children, I knew I couldn’t as the thought of putting on weight terrified me. I still haven’t overcome anorexia I have just learned to live with it.'
With 'no real understanding' of the illness in the '60s, Ms Kemp said she was left to starve herself.

'I was never called pretty': Ms Kemp at the age of six, left, and as a teenager, right. She first started to starve herself after feeling 'ugly' compared to her best friend at school

'My friend was always being called pretty - and I never was,' she said. 'As a young teenager, that made me feel worthless in comparison.
'I was so confused, there was no real treatment for anorexia back in the 1960s - I was just left to starve and deal with the illness myself.
'My teenage years were awful - I was desperately thin and only weighed around five stone.
'I can never remember exactly how much I weighed during this time as I was too ill to really function properly.

'I was just left to starve': Miss Kemp, pictured in her late teens, was soon in the grip of the eating disorder

Illness: Her weight plummeted to five stone - and, even now, she has never weighed more than seven stone

'Anorexia has made me feel insecure and I have found it hard to make friends - as you can imagine a lot of socialising revolves around food - something I was never able to be part of.
'Even the thought of being given a biscuit with a cup of tea would of completely terrified me.'
She added: 'I was too fixated by the way I looked and, more importantly, how much I weighed.'
Ms Kemp's life has been a cycle of compulsive eating, laxatives and starvation - the consequences of which she is still living with.
She has been left with poor digestion, as well as problems with her sinuses and teeth.

Opening up: Ms Kemp, from Dunfermline, Fife, has spoken out about her lifetime of anorexia in a bid to help others. Above, she is pictured in her mid-20s

Dangerous: Her life has been a cycle of compulsive eating, laxatives and starvation. Here, Ms Kemp, second right, is pictured with her sister Sylvia and her parents

'There are so many women and men dying from anorexia - it’s a growing problem especially now there’s pro-anorexia websites,' she said.
'They should all be shut down. I have no idea why and how people could try and influence others to lose weight when they are already so thin.
'But the support for anorexia nowadays is great - there are plenty of support groups and charities willing to help.'
Despite admitting that she is probably still too thin, Ms Kemp feels her eating disorder is now manageable and she has learned to overcome her fears of eating.

Consequences: Ms Kemp, pictured in her 50s, left, and late 30s, right, has been left with poor digestion, as well as problems with her sinuses and teeth

She also says she is determined to help other sufferers.
'I just want people to speak out if they’re struggling with an eating disorder - there is a lot of help out there now,' she said.
'There is no reason for anyone to allow an eating disorder to take over your life - I want my story to be a warning to anyone contemplating losing weight unnecessarily.'
Leanne Thorndyke, a spokesman for Beat, an eating disorder charity, said: 'Eating disorders are treatable conditions and full recovery is possible.

'I want people to speak out': Ms Kemp wants her story as to act as a 'warning' to other anorexia sufferers

Still battling: The 64-year-old admits she is probably still too thin, but says her anorexia is now 'manageable'

'The sooner someone gets the treatment they need, the more likely they are to make a full recovery.
'Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses and more than 1.6 million men and women of all ages and backgrounds in the UK are affected.
'We challenge stereotypes and stigma, increase understanding and campaign for better services and access to treatment.'

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