Vanessa Feltz Discusses Early Dieting Struggles

Vanessa Feltz has shared her experiences with dieting, revealing that her mother put her on a restrictive diet at just nine years old. During a discussion on Loose Women, she recounted being served grapefruit for dinner while her family enjoyed normal meals, which significantly affected her relationship with food. Feltz explained that her mother was concerned about her developing body and sought medical advice, leading to a lifelong struggle with body image issues. Growing up in the 1960s, she felt pressured to conform to the slim ideal represented by models like Twiggy, which compounded her feelings of being punished for her natural development. She expressed that her mother’s actions, although not intentional, created a difficult dynamic around eating, making her feel excessively hungry and anxious about food. Feltz's candid reflections highlight the long-lasting impact of early dieting on one's self-image and relationship with food.