14 DAY TRIAL // Michelle Duggar has been a reality star since 2008, when TLC took her and her family and introduced them to the world with the 19 Kids and Counting hit reality series. Fans might think that they know all there is to know of her but, as it turns out, Ms. Duggar has been keeping a big secret all along.
She struggled with an eating disorder when she was just a teen, she admits in a new interview cited by Yahoo! Celebrity. Michelle had bulimia and credits her husband Jim Bob with helping her overcome it, by offering her his shoulder to cry on and lots of love and support.
Michelle says she developed the eating disorder when she was just 14 because she was into competitive sports but was working with the serious disadvantage of being prone to gaining weight. At the time, purging seemed like the only option available to her to cope with the pressure.
“I found out that genetically I could put on weight easily, but with my activities, gymnastics and cheerleading, it was important for me not to. I was doing it sometimes on a daily basis, or sometimes I would go a week. I felt this was the answer to my problems,” she says.
Because she imagines many other girls, young and adult women think the same, that they have no other option but to harm themselves in order to keep up appearances, she’s speaking out now on the topic, to raise awareness.
Michelle credits her husband Jim Bob with helping her overcome these issues. “He told me to call him anytime. I just know that I would be tempted and I would have the crazy thought that I wanted to throw up, not hold on to the calories. Thank God it didn't go on longer than it did or I could have done horrible damage to my body,” she explains.
Jim Bob was the only one who knew of this for many years, with Michelle admitting she came clean to him when they first started dating, so as to start the relationship with no secrets. Later, she confessed to her eldest daughters, who included the story in the book “Growing Up Duggar,” which will be out in stores next week.
“When the girls were writing their book, they brought this up and I thought, if my sharing it is going to help another young lady, then I want to share it,” Michelle says.