HOLLYWOOD EATING DISORDER CONFESSIONS

Portia De Rossi>> Whenshe started on Ally McBeal her healthy good looks won her a legion of fans. But then she began to disappear before our eyes and her skeletal appearance shocked the world. At first she said her weight loss was caused by stress. But last year, she admitted to an eating disorder, saying she had lost "Far to much weight". Portia ,30, blames Hollywoods pressure to stay skinny. "It takes too much obsession with your looks and your body and I don't think that's healthy", she says. "I got on the Hollwood bandwagon, worked out a lot and ate less to make sure I looked the best I could and quite frankly I went too far with it. I cut out all white carbs and certain fats in my diet. Initially the weight dropped off and i thought this is good this is working, but I got to a stage where I just didn't look good anymore, so I put some weight back on."

Christina Ricci>> When she was 14, Christins decided her breasts were growing too large. Fears a fuller figure would ruin her career, on top of her heartache over her parents divorce, she plunged into disspear. She then watched a TV programme on anorexia- and decided it was the answer to her problems. "I noticed there was a benefit to be had with anorexia- my breasts would go away," says the actress, now 23. "I got all my tips from a movie on anorexia." The star eventually overcame her disorder- which saw her weight plummet to 38kg (83.5lbs)- with therapy, but she remains on strict diet and a exercise program.

     

Geri Halliwell>> Geri's addiction to dieting which saw her shrink from a size 12 toa six in four years- is only part of her body image neurosis. She has revealed her bulimia once spiralled so far out og control, she binged on leftover chocolate cake from her friend George Michaels bin. She's also attended Overeaters anonymous. After her first metting she wrote in her diary "I'm a recovering compulsive eater, bulimic anorexic." But the sessions failed to solve her body image problems. In the past year she has banned cakes from her presence, had vitimans injected to make up for the lack of food and complained her waxwork figure at Madame Tussaud's in london was too fat.

Kate Winslett>> Now healthy and pregnant, Kate's weight fluctuations have been well documented. As an 83kg teen she was cruelly nicknamed "blubber". I didn't have inner confidence, but I did have inner determination, she says now. So Kate started a series of fad diets that later led to anorexia. At one point she ate nothing but raw carrots, apples supplemented wiith black coffee. "For a while I couldn't eat at all and felt faint and tired all the time," she says. Then when she fell pregnant with first daughter Mia, Kate gained weight, then shed it quickly. But she now seems to have found a more balanced regime.

                      Uma Thurman (above left)>> Uma's serene beauty masks insecurities about her looks. The 33year old has been plagued by a psychological problem since the birth of her daughter, Maya ray, five years ago. Ever since she had the baby she's had body dysmorphic disorder. I see myself as fat Uma admits. BDD is a condition that causes sufferers to become obessed with percieved physical flaws.

Posh (above right)>> When Victoria Beckham checked into a health spa recently fears were raised she was hoping to lose weight. For the former spice girl is once again looking extremely slim, with one UK paper cruelly commenting on her bony chest and large lollipop head. Posh's bodu image problems stretch back to her time with the group. The mother of two admits dieting became an obsession in the spice girls early days and she later turned to binge eating, once consuming 10 bowls of frosties in one sitting. She then shed 13kg within months of giving birth to Brooklyn three years ago and shocked the public with her protruding hip, collar and arm bones. Victoria says she is now a healthy eater who does not obsess about her body.


THOSE WHO DON'T ADMIT IT.......

Lara Flynn Boyle>> is the constant taget of ED rumours. And NW's exclusive shots of her at the beach recently show the concerns are more than justified. Despite looking little more than skin and bones, Lara has sworn she eats- a lot. "I love slim jims, banana cake" boasts the 32yr old star, adding I love pie a la mode, roast beef, peas in mashed potatoe, caviar, peanut butter and jelly. I love it all lara says she is just natrually slim. "I've taken a beating for being very thin, but when I look in the mirror I don't find any flaws. Skinny flat chested girls are pretty, Calista is one of my role models." But last week she mad a telling admission to US weekly saying" I'm going to stay hungry and keep making people mad".