We all have known Jackie Evancho when she was as little as ten years. She took the reality show, America’s Got Talent by storm and enamored all her fans a decade ago with her outstanding singing. It was in 2012, and the show was telecast in 2012. Jackie was titled the first runner-up and won the hearts of millions.
She is in news again. Unfortunately, it’s not because she has released an album, but has made a revelation about her health. The singer has an eating disorder because of which she has also developed osteoporosis. According to Jackie, she has bones of 80 years old.
Here is everything to know about how the singer is managing her health condition.
Jackie had Anorexia Since her Teen Days
Not many people know this, but the singer suffered from an eating disorder called anorexia when she was a teenager. In one of her interviews, the AGT star stated she has been suffering from osteoporosis for the past few years because of her battle with anorexia. She also quoted that she is doing many things to keep herself in good health.
The singer, now 22, realized the severity of this condition last year when she met with a car accident that broke her back. “They were abnormal breaks, breaks that you see in 80-year-olds. That’s how I learned that my eating problems created osteoporosis. So now I am a 22-year-old with osteoporosis.”
Jackie went on to explain how this eating disorder affected her bone health for bad. She said that she had to eat for her bones to heal, which messed up her eating problems as she was gaining weight repeatedly.
In October 2021, she got the required medical treatment in an in-patient facility. Currently, she is recovering slowly and is consistent on her journey to a healthy life and body. Talking more about her journey of anorexia, she said, “I noticed that I looked a little bigger to myself, so I asked my mom, ‘Do I look fat?’ and she was like, no no, that’s just baby fat. So I decided that I was going to start to mildly diet and start working out regularly”.
Jackie Would Go Days without Eating
Things were not normal for Jackie when she was experiencing this eating disorder.
“When I started to go days without eating in my head, I understood this is not normal. I felt exhausted, moody, tearful, but after a bit of time, I started to feel nothing.”
Not many celebrities open up about their personal struggles or health issues, but Jackie decided to be pretty vocal about her journey of dealing with anorexia and osteoporosis.
“I am struggling, but I am fighting, which is good because a year ago, I was giving in to it completely, and that’s so dark and painful. I am not healthy yet, but I have been able to implement healthy coping skills and better eating habits. I am opening up even more about my struggles with anorexia with the hope of creating more awareness.”
How is Jackie Managing her Health Condition?
After being diagnosed with anorexia and osteoporosis, Jackie is committed to being healthy and how!
She is now seeing a nutritionist as well as a therapist. She is also undergoing EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). It is a type of psychotherapy that she hopes will help her process the past trauma and get her condition under control.
On a professional front, Jackie is geared up to release her 9th album, Carousel of Time. It is a Joni Mitchell covers collection that the singer is planning to release in September. Besides her covers, she is also working on creating some new original songs.
“There are still issues, but they are so much better. There are days where I feel helpless and hopeless but I am sick of living like this.”
Her Fans have Her Back
After the news of her battling anorexia spread like wildfire on the internet, fans started pouring their love and warm regards to the singer. They also told her they were proud of her revelation because Jackie disclosed her health condition bravely to the world.
Her fans send her much love and strength.
What is Anorexia?
Anorexia, formally known as anorexia nervosa, refers to an eating disorder. People with anorexia often limit the number of calories and food they eat. They lose a lot of body weight and energy. This condition is not healthy because it doesn’t let you maintain an appropriate body weight based on your height, age, stature, or physical health.
Some people may exercise compulsively or purge the food they eat through intentional vomiting. Individuals experiencing this disorder have a distorted self-image of their body. They also have an intense fear of gaining weight. Anorexia may affect you on both physical as well as mental levels.
It can occur in people of any age, gender, race, ethnicity, and individuals of all body weights, shapes, and sizes. Anorexia is most common among adolescents and young adult women and requires treatment. Extreme weight loss may lead to malnutrition and other dangerous health concerns.
Is There Any Link Between Anorexia and Osteoporosis?
Many studies and research claim there is a link between anorexia and osteoporosis. Affected people may experience nutritional and hormonal problems that negatively impact bone density. Severely low body weight in females may lead the body to stop producing estrogen, which may further result in amenorrhea or the absence of menstrual periods. Low estrogen levels may also contribute to significant losses in bone density.
Individuals with this eating disorder produce the adrenal hormone cortisol in excessive amounts triggers bone loss. It may also create other problems like a decrease in the production of growth hormone and other growth factors, low body weight, deficiency of nutrients like calcium, and even malnutrition. Anorexia causes bone loss in girls and women. Girls with this eating disorder may be at an increased for osteoporosis and fracture throughout their lives.
Take the symptoms of this problem seriously and get in touch with your doctor or nutritionist to reverse the condition.