TV and radio presenter Vanessa Feltz has opened up about her lifelong struggle with body image and weight, revealing that her mother put her on a diet at the age of nine
Vanessa Feltz has shared her early dieting woes, recalling how at just nine years old her mother had her on a diet. Speaking candidly to the Loose Women panel which included Charlene White, Brenda Edwards, Judi Love, and Kelle Bryan, the veteran presenter discussed her lifelong battle with body image issues.
Vanessa spoke about her youth, revealing she would be given grapefruit for dinner while her family ate normally, a move that profoundly impacted her relationship with food. She recounted to the ITV panel: "I was a little girl and I wasn't a chubby girl who likes eating cake, I was a skinny kind that wasn't very interested in food.
"And then I did this thing that my parents never forgave me for, which in those days you called developing. I was getting these very tiny bosoms and I was about nine."
She elaborated on her family's reaction, saying: "My mum rushed me off to the specialist and was asking what's going on with her, and they said 'well Mrs Feltz she's developing', and my grandmother said that was ridiculous as I was only nine, almost as if I had done it on purpose. I think my mum thought my waist would go in and my hips would come out, and I think she panicked I would be fat."
Vanessa also delved into the cultural demands of the '60s, citing how the slimness embodied by Twiggy added to the weight of expectations to stay thin for better marital prospects. "So from that moment she started dieting me, I was nine. We were all having a chicken soup with vermicelli and lovely dumplings and everything and Vanessa's having half a grapefruit. I was nine!
"I felt as if I was being punished but I didn't know what I'd done," she shared. "From that moment, my mother became my diet police which is very difficult, because if every time you raise a fork to your mouth, your mother looks horrified, what are you supposed to do? It made me hungry all the time," reports the Express.
Nonetheless, Vanessa highlighted that her mother's actions were not meant to cause harm, yet they left a lasting impression on her self-image. She also detailed the struggle of constantly being subject to public commentary, whether through spoken words or in writing.
