Lily Collins opens up about tackling eating disorders for Awareness Week

Actress Lily Collins opened up about her past eating disorder in time for Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The actress reflected on her own struggles, sharing a message aimed at raising awareness, encouraging understanding and supporting those facing similar challenges.

Lily Collins says recovery is an ‘ongoing process’

To commemorate Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 23 – March 1, 2026), Collins took to Instagram Stories to share her experience with the illness. In her post, she said she has always been an advocate for “awareness and understanding” of eating disorders.

The 36-year-old actress has spoken openly about her past struggles so others don’t have to go through them alone, while acknowledging that recovery is an “ongoing process” that can be different for each person.

As Collins wrote, sharing the challenges she faced was “terrifying but rewarding.” “If every time I share my story it helps even one person on their journey to recovery, it will be worth it,” she concluded her post.

The actress played a character battling anorexia

In 2017, Collins starred as Ellen, a young woman battling anorexia, in the Netflix film “To the Bone.” It was written and directed by Marti Noxon, who also suffered from an eating disorder.

When Collins was approached for the role, she was afraid of relapsing, but ultimately knew that counseling would be provided to her during filming. Furthermore, she decided to play this role not only for herself, but also “for other young people who are going through this experience,” according to Refinery29.

Since she had to lose weight for the film, a nutritionist made sure she took supplements to ensure she got the nutrients her body needed. Additionally, Collins explained that there is no target weight for her. “I was hired as an actress. I wasn’t hired for my image. That was something I had to remember,” she added.

Preparing Lily Collins for the role

As the actress said in 2017, she also had to mentally prepare to play Ellen, sharing that she had dated Anorexic Anonymous. The actress suffered from anorexia and bulimia as a teenager, and the film gave her the opportunity to speak openly about what she experienced.

Initially, Collins was afraid of being judged, but instead the process was “healing.” “For me, being able to talk openly about my story with them for the first time was something that was so healing for me, in a way that I didn’t expect,” she explained.

By preparing for her role, Collins was able to move beyond her identity as a “trouble girl” and confront her past struggles on her own terms.

The actress detailed her eating disorder in her memoir

Collins published her memoir, “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me,” in 2017, in which she wrote about body image, relationships and other experiences through essays. One of the topics she discussed was her eating disorder and when it started.

At 16, Collins juggled different things in her life, including modeling and acting, as well as her father Phil Collins’ divorce from her stepmother. “Eating was no longer a fun social event, but rather a chore and punishment. I was exhausted, nervous and stupid all the time. It definitely wasn’t much fun. But my plan was working! I was in control! I was skinny,” she wrote.

In an interview with Teen VogueCollins shared that with the chaos in her life at that time, the only thing she could control was her food intake. Although she didn’t seek treatment, the actress managed to overcome her eating disorder.

Lily Collins to play Audrey Hepburn in upcoming film

In February, the “Emily in Paris” actress revealed that she would play the role of Audrey Hepburn in a film about the making of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” “Honored and delighted, this is not enough to express how I feel…” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the late actress.

In an interview with PeopleCollins’ father-in-law, actor Malcolm McDowell, praised the actress, describing her as “delightful” and “fantastic.”

“I love watching her. She has this Audrey Hepburn thing, which is indefinable in a way, but it’s there,” he added.