Glamorous mature celebrities spark over-50s anorexia

Glamorous ageing celebrities to blame for over-50s anorexia

It’s a disease generally associated with teens and young women, but glamorous mature celebrities are being blamed for a rise in anorexia in the over-50s.

Experts warn that women in their 40s and 50s are developing the disease in an attempt to emulate images of glamorous older stars, including Madonna and Sharon Stone, and giving them false expectation of how they should – or even can – look.

Chairman of the British Dietetic Association, Ursula Philpot, says 10% of patients treated for anorexia at its clinics are now over 40.

She added: ‘Ten years ago, most patients in our clinics were young women but there has been a big shift in age in recent years.

‘For many older women something has happened to them, an event such as divorce or their children leaving home, which has triggered their disorder.

‘But the quest for perfection, if they have a desire to look like unobtainable celebrities, makes them feel bad and may worsen their disorder.’

Deanne Jade, principal and founder of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, added: ‘There is a new pressure on older women to stay young.

‘Previously, no one would have expected it – people simply grew old gracefully.

'Today, people do anything they can to stave off getting old.’