Kayleigh Trappe says her relationship with food has changed for the better after years of feeling self-conscious about her weight.
The comedian and impressionist says she has come "full circle" and has adapted healthier eating and lifestyle habits but feels sorry for her younger self, who began to take notice of her weight from when she was eight years old.
"I have a love-hate relationship with food because when I was growing up I was very overweight so I would eat out of comfort rather than enjoyment. I suppose people would call it eating their feelings nearly. That would have been a massive barrier against confidence for me," Kayleigh said.
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"With the acting it was one thing I could do and, behind closed doors, I used to do a lot of speech and drama where it would be me and my teacher, and it was good. But then put me in front of an audience or a classroom and I’d be too self-conscious in my weight and the way I looked to do it.
"One day I flipped a switch. I wish I was accepting of myself the way I was but I was unhealthy and my relationship with food wasn’t healthy."
Kayleigh recently found a diary entry from her Leaving Cert year when she was 17 that read: "All I want to do is act and pursue this career but an ugly fat girl like me will never get that".
The social media star told Mark Moriarty on the Roasted podcast: "If something happened in school or a fella was mean to me, I’d go home, close my door and I’d eat, I wouldn’t even enjoy it. I was like, ‘something has to change’."
Kayleigh felt sad reading that diary entry but says she is "so much happier" now she has gone on her healthy eating and fitness journey, and has also gained confidence in herself through her flourishing comedy career.
She added: "I did lose a lot of weight, that was a few years ago, and now in the last couple of years I have learned to love food again but I think everything in moderation. I am massively into fitness as well so now I have a lovely relationship again.
"I have memories of being eight and being extremely body conscious in all these little things that came up. It is such a shame, I feel sad for that little girl but now I try to turn the negatives into positives and think that little girl would be so happy on where I am now with it."
English (US) ·