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William breaks his silence over Di's bulimia battle

When Princess Diana publicly spoke about her bulimia battle in 1995, it exposed her innermost vulnerability – but also revealed a determined courage in speaking out against the "secret disease" she had battled against for years.

Her son Prince William has now spoken about his mother’s confessions for the first time, revealing his pride at her attempts to normalise the conversation surrounding eating disorders.

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Appearing in new documentary Wasting Away: The Truth About Anorexia, Prince William discusses Diana’s bulimia battle with British TV presenter Mark Austin, whose own daughter Maddy suffered from anorexia.

Wills has broken his silence on his mum's battle with bulimia. Photo: Getty
Wills has broken his silence on his mum's battle with bulimia. Photo: Getty

“We need to normalise the conversation about mental health. The fact that you are speaking out is incredibly brave,” Prince William tells Mark and Maddy in the documentary.

Di spoke openly and honestly about her years-long struggle with an eating disorder in a 1995 Panorama interview. Photo: BBC Panorama
Di spoke openly and honestly about her years-long struggle with an eating disorder in a 1995 Panorama interview. Photo: BBC Panorama

The prince was just 13-years-old when his mum spoke out about her battle against bulimia, revealing it was an “escape mechanism” to cope with her life in the spotlight, and a symptom of her troubled marriage to Prince Charles.

“I had bulimia for a number of years. And that's like a secret disease,” she candidly confessed.

'The cause was the situation where my husband and I had to keep everything together because we didn't want to disappoint the public,' said Diana. Photo: Getty
'The cause was the situation where my husband and I had to keep everything together because we didn't want to disappoint the public,' said Diana. Photo: Getty

“You have to know that when you have bulimia you're very ashamed of yourself and you hate yourself… so you don't discuss it with people.”

Wills now has a family of his own, and says he'd feel 'helpless' if another family fell victim to the battle. Photo: Getty Images
Wills now has a family of his own, and says he'd feel 'helpless' if another family fell victim to the battle. Photo: Getty Images

For Prince William, his mum’s honesty is a source of inspiration as he continues her work in bringing awareness of the need to speak openly about mental health.

"Absolutely," Wills says in the documentary when he's asked if he's proud of his mum. "These are illnesses. Mental health needs to be taken as seriously as physical health."

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