Sam Attwater reveals bulimia ordeal

Sam Attwater has admitted he struggled with his body image for years and was once bulimic.

The former 'EastEnders' actor - who is currently taking part in ITV1 show 'Dancing on Ice' admitted being bullied over his weight when he was younger led to him developing an eating disorder and an unhealthy obsession with exercise.

He explained: "I look back now and I can see the devastating effect bullying had on my body image. While I was fat I wanted to be thin so I wouldn't be bullied but by the time I started losing weight, it took me a little longer to feel good about myself again."

At the age of 13, Sam saw a character on TV show 'Home and Away' dealing with similar weight problems who dealt with it by making himself sick, so he decided to imitate him.

He explained: "There was a storyline about a guy who wasn't happy with himself and he used to make himself sick so I copied him. I did the same because I felt overweight and I wasn't happy with myself and I didn't want to go to school because of the bullying.

"I didn't do it for long, I know my bulimia could have spiralled out of control but thankfully it didn't".

Sam, 24, then took up excessive exercise when he joined TV show 'Hollyoaks' but admitted that was also the wrong decision.

He said: "I was addicted to the gym and if I had to cancel a training session I'd end up fuming. I didn't eat anything bad. I didn't drink. I stopped going out. In fact I was boring."

Now Sam - who has been praised by the 'Dancing on Ice' judges for his abilities - says he has reached a healthy balance in his life between exercise and eating and no longer worries about his weight.

He explained in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I think I just grew out of it. Now I'm so busy acting, singing and skating that I'm just enjoying every minute. Now when I look in the mirror I'm happy."