‘I had to overcome it myself’ Anorexia survivor who became a Beauty Queen calls for NHS eating disorder treatment overhaul as she compares counselling to ‘calorie counting lecture’

• Alisha Cowie, 23, from County Durham, said she was left to struggle with illness 
• READ MORE: Anorexia campaigner who said she was ‘misunderstood’ by doctors and tried to raise £200,000 for treatment dies one day after saying ‘I’m scared’

A woman who beat anorexia to become a top beauty queen has blamed social media and the NHS for shock figures revealing a growing eating disorder crisis in the UK.

Alisha Cowie, 23, from County Durham, who is one of Britain’s most successful beauty queens, says she ‘wasn’t surprised’ by this week’s worrying stats following her own experience.

It has emerged the number of children and young people starting treatment for eating disorders has more than doubled in the last seven years.

Shockingly, the report also revealed patients with eating disorders are being refused NHS treatment for ‘not being thin enough’.

During her own battle, Alisha restricted her diet until she weighed just six stone at the age of 13 after being bullied for being anorexic as a teenager.

Alisha (pictured during her teen years when she struggled with anorexia) has said she was given very little support in overcoming her eating disorder 

She has since gone onto become one of the UK’s most successful beauty queens, and has been crowned Miss England and Miss International

Even at the age of five she was picked on by cruel kids who branded her ‘fat’ before she was called ‘too skinny’ when she lost weight at secondary school.

Alisha also had to go to classes at set hours to avoid her tormentors for her own safety after they started throwing rocks and pouring hot drinks over her.

And she said Instagram images which glamorised anorexia drove her to self harm and contemplate suicide.

Alisha finally beat the bullies to be crowned Miss International UK a month ago – five years after winning Miss England in 2018.

But she has now revealed how during her darkest days she was forced to overcome her eating disorder ‘by herself’ with little help or support from the NHS.

She also called on social media companies to do more to stop young people being exposed to and influenced by harmful content online.

Alisha, who is also a professional photographer, said the whole system needed ‘an overhaul’ because eating disorders are not being taken seriously enough.

Alisha said: ‘I think there needs to be an overhaul within the NHS to make sure eating disorders are taken more seriously and treated properly.

THEN AND NOW: Alisha suffered from anorexia in her teens (pictured, left) but has now overcome the illness (pictured, right)

According to Alisha (pictured here aged 16), once she was diagnosed with the eating disorder, she was ‘left to my own devices to try and deal with it by myself’

‘From my experience, after I was diagnosed I was left to my own devices to try and deal with it by myself.

‘The only thing I was offered was counselling, but it was just somebody lecturing me about how many calories I should be eating.

‘But I already knew how many calories I should be eating, it was just that I didn’t want to. The problem was psychological.

‘So I think maybe people would benefit more from therapy or group therapy perhaps – because in my experience I had little support.

‘These numbers don’t surprise me for that reason. I know the NHS are overworked and understaffed but I just don’t think eating disorders are taken seriously enough.

After being diagnosed, Alisha (pictured en route to Miss International UK) says she was given counselling that was ‘just somebody lecturing me about how many calories I should be eating’

‘I was just told I had anorexia by my GP and I was sent on my way without any treatment plan. I had to try and solve this problem myself.

‘From what I’ve heard speaking to other people it seems the work is just left to charities and the NHS does little itself to find solutions for patients.

‘The idea of using BMI to measure how healthy you are is also outdated and could be the reason people are being told they are not skinny enough.

‘I think there’s a level of ignorance too. You don’t have to be underweight to have an eating disorder. It can affect anyone and is a wide spectrum.

When she was very young, Alisha (pictured when she was crowned as Miss International UK 2023) was called ‘fat’ by other children at school, she now says ‘kids can be cruel’

‘The issue can start very young. Kids can be cruel. Children throw around the word ‘fat’ in the playground as an insult before the likes of social media can take influence.

‘Social media companies like Instagram need to be doing more too to restrict access to harmful content.

‘We all know the internet is this huge void of ideas and content creation and it can undoubtedly be a good thing.

‘But you can just as easily be exposed to glamorisations of anorexia and self-harming, as I was. And when you’re young that can be hugely influential.

‘I think any photo that has been editing needs to state that fact so youngsters aren’t seeing all these filters etc as true life.

‘Social media was only just starting out when this happened to me 10 years ago but it’s clear we have learned little from it.

Alisha (pictured in 2018 after being crowned Miss England) believes that social media companies, schools, and the healthcare system should do more to help combat eating disorders

Now she wants to see a multi-pronged approach, with agencies like schools, the healthcare system and social media platforms doing more

‘People still see these images of the ‘perfect’ body type to aspire to. Social media companies with these huge amounts of money can do something – they just don’t.

‘I think the key to anything is education. So making young people more aware of these dangers is important.

‘So between schools, the healthcare system and social media platforms doing more – that’s the only way I can see this problem finally being resolved.

‘It’s going to need a multi-agency approach I think. The figures are definitely alarming so it is clearly a problem that needs to be addressed.’

Alisha will be representing the UK at the Miss International finals in Japan which will be held in October.

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