Dr Alex George has opened up, revealing he suffered from an eating disorder after two women fat-shamed him in the workplace.
The emergency department doctor who appeared on Love Island back in 2018 took to his Instagram page as the UK marked the end of eating disorder awareness week to share his story.
Alex, 32, says he had never planned to share what happened to him several years ago but recalls the women laughing at him as they "squeezed his tummy" in the hospital canteen.
He said that the women in question, whose identity he did not share claimed he'd gained weight since his appearance on the ITV2 dating programme.
In view of his 1.9 million followers, he said: "This was in front of a queue of people as well as others sat around the canteen. I was mortified and ashamed. I felt so disgusted with myself that I left the queue and not only didn’t eat for the rest of the shift but nothing for the rest of the day or the next.
"This was followed by binge eating for several days. It really hurt. I felt ashamed to go to work in scrubs. Interestingly, no one would have known the effect it had on me. As for many others, that was dealt with silently.
"I’m not sharing this story to ‘make this about me’, I have come a long way in my relationship with my body aside from a few hangups which we all have.
"I wanted to tell you this story because words hurt, and they can stay with you for a long time. They can be tipping points for ED’s or trigger relapse."
Dr Alex continued: "That was a few years ago and I can still hear their laughter. It was cruel. This is #eatingdisorderawareness week and I just want to raise a reminder that men struggle with body image too, often in silence. Please be kind to others, we all make mistakes but do think before you speak, or type. What is a moment on your lips could be a lifetime in their heads."
He was soon inundated with support after saying he now loves his body but hoped his story would resonate with others.
One person commented: "Thank you for sharing this moment of vulnerability and the importance of speaking out. Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses and it can take one remark like that to trigger something for someone."
"I applaud the strength you have to share this story. But appalled at those individuals," commented a second.
While a third added: "Wow thank you for sharing and raising awareness, so many people need to hear your story and be educated from it, sad you had to go through that. You are amazing."
If you're worried about your health or the health of somebody else, you can contact SEED eating disorder support service at 01482 718130 or on their website, here.
