Bullying Sparked Eating Disorder, Says Demi Lovato

The self-harming and eating disorders partly stemmed from being bullied as a child, troubled former Disney star Demi Lovato has revealed.

It comes a day after the 18-year-old actress announced she had quit her popular Disney show 'Sonny With A Chance' because she couldn't bear to see her body on camera.

"I literally didn't know why they were being so mean," the Daily Mail quoted Lovato as saying during an interview with 'Good Morning America'. I was bullied for being fat," she added.

In a separate interview with People magazine, Lovato reveals she "stopped eating" at the age of 12, dropping 30lbs. At 5ft 3in, she weighed 95lbs.

A life coach was called in to help her.

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Lovato, who was filming the hit show 'Camp Rock' at the time, says she then began suffering from bulimia.

Lovato, who admits to dabbling with drugs and alcohol, says she began cutting herself with blades as "a way of relieving pressure when I was stressed and had anxiety".

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The star, who last week praised Catherine Zeta-Jones for speaking out about her mental illness, also revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while receiving treatment last year.

"Looking back it makes sense," she said of the diagnosis.

She is now taking her recovery "day by day", but it is clear her body-image struggle still looms large.

Source-ANI