This Morning presenter Alison Hammond broke down in tears during a phone-in section with a mum worried about her 17-year-old daughter's eating habits.
The mum was talking to agony aunt Deirdre about her concerns that her teenage daughter was eating too much.
In the studio, Alison got upset saying that people "don't understand" that over-eating is a "disease" and urged the concerned mother to get as much help as she could for her daughter.
Through her tears she said: "When you are in it you want to eat and you want all the bad things and you know you don't look great...sorry it really touches me.
"You can't control wanting to eat all the time and stuff like that. And I think a lot of people don't realise that."
Becoming very emotional she said: "It's so hard, people don't realise. I'm so sorry."
Speaking directly to the mum, she said; "Your daughter needs help. I think NHS needs to see it as more serious, as a disease that people. They help people who are anorexic, but not people who are overweight.
"That's why so many people turn to surgery and things like that because we don't know what to do."
When she broke down crying, she was comforted by co-host Dermot O'Leary and Deirdre got up from her chair to give her a hug before the show went to a break.
She also said there needed to be more help and support for people with weight issues.
When the show returned, Alison said: "I was in the moment. It is tough, when you are big people think you are lazy but what they don't realise that it is a chemical imbalance. I got carried away, felt like I was at home watching."
Dermot O'Leary says: "You don't have to apologise. You are an inspiration to me."
In the past, Alison has been pretty open about her weight struggles
In an interview with The Sun, she said: "Lockdown was dire for me in terms of weight. I couldn't control my eating or how much exercise I did. It got to a stage where my doctor said: 'You've got to do something about this, Alison'."
She has since cut down on sugar in her diet and been exercising more..
Fans of the show were also quick to send her messages of support.
One said: "Alison Hammond crying on national tele has broken me. Absolute treasure that woman."
Another said: "Alison Hammond made such a good point on TV. People with anorexia get lots of help, but obese people are seen as lazy. They're told to get off their arse and stop eating so much. It should be treated equally as seriously as anorexia. They're both eating disorders."
One more added: "Well done to Alison Hammond as a presenter - showing her vulnerability about her weight and obesity has made me see her in a completely different light...really brave and honest to expose her feelings on tv!! Especially in these vacuous times"
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