Anorexic girl who hid food in her EARS was warned she could die as she hit 5st 9lbs... but now she's

AN ANOREXIA sufferer hid food in her ears and hair to hide the fact she wasnt eating. At the peak of her eating disorder, Julia Janssen tipped the scales at a dangerous five stone 9lbs. 9 Julia, from Zurich, Switzerland, says her unhealthy relationship with food began when she was 13, but the disease fully

AN ANOREXIA sufferer hid food in her ears and hair to hide the fact she wasn’t eating.

At the peak of her eating disorder, Julia Janssen tipped the scales at a dangerous five stone 9lbs.

Julia, from Zurich, Switzerland, says her unhealthy relationship with food began when she was 13, but the disease fully took hold two years later.

As she hit puberty, she worried that the changes to her body would affect her life.

The recovering anorexic, now 24, remembered: “I didn’t know who I was and I was terrified to grow up.

“Anorexia gave me a false sense of control and was a way of avoiding all the difficulties that come with puberty.”

Therapists said Julia had one of the worst cases they had ever seen after her debilitating disorder led to her losing huge chunks of hair and fainting many times a day.

As anorexia took hold of her, she began turning blue because she was always cold despite wearing woolly hats all year round.

Worryingly, Julia also lost control of her bladder and suffered open wounds hip bones protruded through the skin.

She said: “In my worst times, I could barely take a shower on my own or brush my hair or walk up the stairs, because I was so weak.”

As well as fearing she could get contaminated from even touching food, she even turned down drinks of water.

In order to evade having to eat food, Julia began hiding her illness.

As well as exercising during the early hours of the morning, she also concealed meals in her hair and ears.

Julia recalled: “I did everything from going out at 2am to walk for hours, hiding food absolutely everywhere and lying straight to the face of my loved ones.

“If someone was watching me when I was eating breakfast to make sure I didn’t cheat, I would smear butter into my ears and into my hair.

“Food would go everywhere from my pockets to behind the couch or in my handbag.

“I ruined so many of my favourite bags because I kept hiding all kinds of food in them.”

Even when doctors warned she was on the brink of a heart attack, Julia struggled to turn her life around.

She said: “I just knew that my time was running out and that I could drop dead or simply die in my sleep any day.

“I looked and felt like a ghost.”

In December 2014, Julia knew she wouldn’t make Christmas unless she ate and she didn’t want her parents to have to bury her.

Determined to make a difference, she turned down inpatient treatment to begin upping her calorie intake at home.

In order to get her weight back up, she learned to consume 3,000 calories a day.

Her state has definitely improved, as she’s put on 22 pounds and now has a BMI of 16, which is still classed as underweight.

Even though Julia’s body looks far healthier, she admits that she is still going through a mental battle.

She said: “Sometimes when I look in the mirror I really struggle with the fact that what goes on in my mind doesn’t match what I see in the mirror.

“This disorder is still a huge part of my life and every day is still a battle, but I don’t look as sick anymore, which is hard to deal with.

“The thing is, somebody can look completely healthy, but they could still struggle immensely with an eating disorder.

“But I have come a long way from my worst.”

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Julia continues on her journey of recovery, turning to friends on Instagram for support.

She explained: “There were so many accounts of girls and women who have been very, very sick for many years, but who have decided to fight this illness and are now leading relatively happy lives.

“That has always been such a big motivation.

“I always knew in theory that you could recover from anorexia, but really seeing people who have done it, is amazing and I am so grateful to all of the support I get online.

“I want to be in control of anorexia and no longer let anorexia control me.”

Julia isn't the only anorexia survivor who is turning their life around.

Gym lover Vera Schulz, 18, made a remarkable recovery and is now a fitness instructor.

And here are some of the most inspiring anorexia recovery stories.

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