I was starving myself to death… people thought I was a crackhead, Chantelle Houghton opens up on disordered eating agony

AS Chantelle Houghton tried to lift herself out of bed, every inch of her frail body ached. The reality star was surviving on just 400 calories a day and had become so skinny that she could fit into her 12-year-old daughter’s clothes. Chantelle Houghton’s weight plummeted to a tiny 8st 2lbs – and while she no longer weighs herself, she guesses it’s currently around 10st Credit: David Cummings Chantelle, pictured in 2023, become so gaunt that online trolls accused her of being a drug addict Credit: Click News and Media With her weight having plummeted from 12st 8lbs to a tiny 8st 2lbs – underweight for her 5ft 7in frame – she knew she had taken her dieting to dangerous extremes. She says: “I felt 100 years old. I had no energy. I’d wake up in the morning, and my whole body would be in pain. It felt like my bones were hurting, and I was so weak I couldn’t even walk my dog for very long. “My body was shutting down, crying out for nourishment. I knew I was slowly killing myself through not eating. I was starving myself to death.” Chantelle, who found overnight fame in 2006 when she won Celebrity Big Brother as a non-celeb on a secret mission, had become so gaunt that online trolls accused her of being a drug addict. “People were saying I was a crackhead,” recalls the star, who famously married her CBB housemate, Preston, in August 2006, only to divorce just 15 months later. “I remember my brother looking at me one day and saying, ‘Chantelle, if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were dying.’ “It did get to a point where I had to ask myself, ‘Am I going to die for this? Am I going to kill myself?’” Mum-of-one Chantelle, 42, has struggled with body dysmorphia for more than 20 years, and has battled bulimia in the past. In 2010, she released a fitness DVD, Chantelle’s Boot Camp Workout, in which she claimed fans could drop two dress sizes in just two weeks – just like she had. She now admits to feeling “guilt” around the project, saying she wasn’t properly prepared. “I don’t feel that it’s for celebrities to do fitness DVDs,” she explains. “It’s not our profession and I don’t feel it is fair on actual, dedicated trainers, so I do have guilt around that.” Chantelle’s latest crisis began towards the end of 2021 when she cut out sugar in an attempt to lose a couple stones. But as she started to shed the pounds, she became consumed by the desire to be even thinner. It is hardly surprising that the star has struggled with her body image. A survey by eating disorder charity Beat found that 89 per cent of people felt that social media platforms were “harmful or very harmful” to people with eating disorders and for years, Chantelle has been targeted by trolls over her body. In 2011, she said it was “no wonder girls end up with eating disorders” following cruel taunts about her fuller figure after she was pictured in a bikini. Mum-of-one Chantelle has struggled with body dysmorphia for more than 20 years Credit: Stewart Williams Following Chantelle’s divorce from Preston nearly 20 years ago, the reality star has been notoriously unlucky in love Credit: WireImage – Getty And in 2012, just weeks after giving birth, she said she wouldn’t let “idiots” make her feel bad after trolls bombarded her with vile comments about her pregnancy weight gain. But after gaining 3st during the pandemic and hitting 12st 8lbs, she became fixated on slimming down. “I’d get a buzz from losing weight and it became an obsession,” she says. “I wanted to get down to 10st, but when I got there, I thought I might as well keep going to 9st. “And when I did that, I carried on, aiming to get to 8st. I’d go into my local Boots and weigh myself on the scales every other day. When people started to notice I’d lost weight, it spurred me on. I just wanted to be even skinnier.” Chantelle even downloaded an app to record everything she ate to ensure she never went over 400 calories a day – well below the 2,000-calorie recommendation for an adult woman. “Every morning I’d eat a bowl of Branflakes, then I’d allow myself two rice cakes mid-morning with a tiny scraping of hummus,” she says. “Lunch would be celery and carrot sticks or raw broccoli and cauliflower, with a smidgen of chilli sauce. “For dinner, I’d have a bowl of steamed veg and perhaps a small amount of tofu, and that would be it. Sometimes I’d snack on strawberries or raspberries, and I’d also go through jars of gherkins because there are no calories in them. It was completely obsessive.” The 42-year-old says she feels like ‘a woman again, with curves in the right places’ Credit: David Cummings Chantelle now eats three healthy meals a day, snacks in between and has a takeaway every now and again Credit: David Cummings As the weight fell off, Chantelle found herself able to fit into her then-12-year-old daughter’s clothes. But rather than shocking her, it gave her a thrill. She even went shopping for herself in Marks & Spencer’s children’s department. “As I was clearing out my daughter’s clothes, I chucked on her a pair of her size 11-12yrs jogging bottoms and they fitted me. “Looking back, that’s insane, but I was happy. I even bought myself an aged 12 tracksuit from M&S, which fitted perfectly. It’s embarrassing to admit now, but I loved that I was in kids’ clothes. I felt incredible.” Although eating disorders are often associated with teenage girls and younger women, experts say they are becoming increasingly recognised in midlife, with Beat reporting that 15 per cent of calls to their helpline now come from women aged 40–59. Chantelle says: “It’s definitely disordered eating, but it’s more like a coping disorder. If I’m in a bad place and I’ve got stuff going on in my life I can’t control, my weight feels like the only thing that I can take charge of. “The weight loss also became something to distract me from having to come to terms with certain things in my personal life, dark memories that I didn’t want to face.” The turning point came in 2024 when a house move prompted Chantelle to make a fresh start. She was also conscious of needing to be well for her daughter, now 14. Chantelle found overnight fame in 2006 when she won Celebrity Big Brother as a non-celeb on a secret mission Credit: Channel 4 Where to get eating disorder help and support IF you're struggling with an eating disorder, there are various ways you can get help. For urgent help or medical advice for yourself or someone else please contact 999 and select option 2 – the mental health option. If you’re looking for non-urgent help, the Samaritans are available on 116 123. Or you can speak to your GP, or 111 for out of hours advice. Beat also provides support via phone line, webchat and email – find details here. And you can text SHOUT to 85258 for support via text message. She says: “Mortality really scares me. I don’t want to miss out on my daughter’s life because I was obsessed with being thin. “Seeing her grow up means more to me than being super slim. “I started to feel panicky and scared that I’d taken this too far. Moving house felt like a good time to try and break this cycle, so I stopped weighing myself and started eating normally – three healthy meals, snacks in between and a takeaway every now and again. “I’m also conscious not to pass my insecurities on to my daughter and have always been careful never to let her hear me talk about my weight or food.” Chantelle no longer weighs herself, but guesses that she’s currently around 10st, which is in the healthy range for her height. “I feel more confident now,” she says. “I feel like a woman again, with curves in the right places. I don’t feel weak anymore and I don’t get out of bed in pain.” Following her divorce from Preston nearly 20 years ago, the reality star has been notoriously unlucky in love. In 2010 she embarked on a turbulent five-month relationship with TV presenter Rav Wilding before getting engaged to Katie Price’s ex-husband, Alex Reid, the following year. But in September 2012, just 11 weeks after she gave birth to their daughter, the couple split, with Chantelle saying she had “no option” but to leave the former cage fighter. In 2021, she split from fiancé Michael Strut after things fizzled out during the Covid lockdown. But as she looks to the future, Chantelle is full of optimism, telling us she hasn’t ruled out having more children. “I do wish I’d had more kids when I was younger, but who knows, maybe I still could. After all, Cameron Diaz recently had her third child at 53, so anything is possible.”