Katie Couric Reveals Struggle With Bulimia on Talk Show
Katie Couric has been very open about her private life: the loss of her husband to colon cancer, a very public colonoscopy in the hopes of raising awareness about the deadly disease, and now having her very own talk show. Couric has used her show to talk about serious topics, and will reveal her own struggle with bulimia on an upcoming episode.
"I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that. And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that's wrong, you're full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it's one cookie or a stick of gum that isn't sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that," Couric told her guest, Demi Lovato on the episode taped for Sept. 24.
The New York Post reported that Couric suffered from bulimia from the ages of 18 to 24. She struggled with how much she ate but eventually overcame the disorder with professional help.
"How do you have a healthy relationship with food and say, 'You know what, I can have one cookie and it's OK?' That is such a huge thing for people who wrestle with this," Couric explained.
Her guest for the special episode is Demi Lovato, who has also opened up about her struggle with healthy eating habits. In an editorial written for Seventeen magazine, Lovato revealed she "started compulsively overeating at a very young age. And then I almost stopped eating altogether at the age of 12, after being harassed by kids at school for being 'fat.'"
Lovato has worked hard to become a successful young actress and singer and has used her fame to help others struggling with bullying or eating disorders. She currently works with the Jed Foundation for the Love is Louder Than the Pressure to be Perfect campaign, which encourages everyone to accept who he or she is.
"My eating disorder will continue to affect me for the rest of my life," Lovato wrote, "but I'm proud to say that I got the help I needed and am now the happiest and healthiest I have ever been!"
Couric's show "Katie" airs weekdays on NBC.
