Student records recovery from anorexia on Instagram to inspire body confidence

'It's really important for people to realise they're not alone'

(Instagram: my_life_without_ana

A student who was given just weeks to live due to her severe anorexia is using social media to promote body confidence and inspire others going through recovery.

Connie Inglis, 23, from Leeds, has struggled with anorexia since she was 10-years-old and has been hospitalised three times in nine years.

Two years ago she was admitted to hospital after her weight plummeted to the same as an average five-year-old.

“I didn't really care about living or dying, I didn't mind,“ told BBC Inside Out.

“I just wanted to lose all the weight. It had got to the point where being in hospital wasn't good enough, the only thing that would have been good enough was if my heart had stopped.

“That's the only thing that would have satisfied my anorexia.”

However, now she wants to spread the message to others going through similar troubles that “no matter how hard it gets, they can always get better.”

Creating a visual record of her recovery on Instagram to 87,000 followers, Inglis hopes that her social media will inspire body confidence.

She regularly uses her page as a tool to share inspirational messages but never shys away from the brutal reality of living with severe anorexia.

“I really love helping people and I think that it's really important for people, those going through recovery especially, to realise they're not alone in their struggles,” she explained.

“I think people follow me because I try to be truthful on my account rather than just show the positive sides of recovery. I show a lot of the negative sides and how hard it is.”

The student, who is in her final year at Leeds Art University, also says that a lot of complications with eating disorders stem from the fact that the NHS do not have enough cash to fund treatment for underlying issues.

“It's very annoying because it seems like if I'm not starving myself then no-one is going to take me seriously.”

Inglis's story will be shown on BBC Inside Out in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on February 5 at 7.30pm on BBC One.

The programme will also be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.