Victoria Beckham Breaks Silence on Eating Disorder Struggles: Taylor Swift and 6 More Stars Share Their Survival Stories

After decades of public scrutiny, Victoria Beckham is finally telling her story in her own words.

In her new three-part Netflix documentary, the former Spice Girl and fashion designer opens up about her battle with an eating disorder that began during her rise to fame. 'When you have an eating disorder, you become very good at lying,' Beckham admits in the series. 'I was never very honest about it with my parents. I never talked about it publicly.'

Beckham, 51, says the disorder took root in her school years after being bullied and feeling like 'a loner.' The pressure only intensified when she joined the Spice Girls in 1994 and became 'Posh Spice', a global icon whose body and image were relentlessly dissected by tabloids.

'It really affects you when you're told constantly you're not good enough,' she says. 'That's been with me my whole life.' The documentary, released just two years after husband David Beckham's hit Netflix series, shows Victoria reclaiming control of her own story. It traces her evolution from pop star to designer, her business struggles, and her journey toward self-acceptance.

But Beckham's revelations also echo a larger shift happening in Hollywood. More stars are confronting their eating disorders publicly, shattering taboos and redefining what recovery looks like.

Here are seven celebrities, including Taylor Swift, who've joined Beckham in speaking out.

1. Taylor Swift

In her 2020 Netflix film Miss Americana, Swift revealed that her perfectionism and public criticism led to disordered eating.

'My relationship with food was the same psychology I applied to everything else — if I got praise, I registered that as good; if I got punishment, that was bad,' she said.

Swift now emphasises balance, saying she's learned that strength and nourishment fuel her music and performance, not deprivation.

2. Tess Holliday

The model shocked followers in 2021 when she tweeted, 'I'm anorexic and in recovery. I'm not ashamed to say it out loud anymore.' Holliday explained that being praised or criticised for her body both fueled her disorder.

'Don't comment on my weight or perceived health,' she wrote on Instagram. 'I'm healing from an eating disorder and feeding my body regularly for the first time in my entire life.'

3. Jameela Jamil

The Good Place actress developed anorexia at 14 after being weighed in front of her class.
She later turned her recovery into advocacy, founding the I WEIGH movement to challenge diet culture.

'I had a really rough time as a teenager,' she told PEOPLE. 'I had no one to turn to. EMDR therapy helped me reprocess my trauma — it saved me.'

4. JoJo

As a teen pop star, JoJo says she was put on a 500-calorie-a-day diet by her record label.

'I thought, maybe if I get skinny enough, they'll put out my album,' she told Uproxx.
Years later, she escaped that toxic environment, launched her own label, and took back creative and personal control.

5. Jackie Goldschneider

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star has spoken candidly about a decade-long battle with anorexia. 'I would weigh everything I ate — down to a piece of gum,' she told the media. 'I got very thin and scared of putting weight back on.'

Treatment, she said, saved her life, 'I'm really proud of coming out the other side.'

6. Alyson Stoner

The former Disney and Step Up star says industry pressure left her malnourished and hospitalised by age 17.

'Casting directors told me I needed help,' she recalled. 'I was eating less than 700 calories a day and exercising for hours.' Now, she shares her story to help others break the silence, 'It was one of the best choices I made for my health.'

7. Lily Collins

Like Beckham, the Emily in Paris actress turned her pain into purpose. Collins revealed she suffered from an eating disorder as a teen and later starred in To the Bone, a Netflix film about the condition.

'I suffered with eating disorders when I was a teenager,' she said in an IMDb Studio interview. 'Speaking about it openly helped me face it head-on — and I hope it helps others start that conversation.'

Women Rewriting Their Stories

From Victoria Beckham to Taylor Swift, a generation of women once defined by their image is now redefining their identities by opening up about their struggles.

Beckham says she's determined to pass that message on to her daughter, Harper, 14. 'I tell Harper every day — be who you are.'