Fearne used by sick anorexia site to warp teen girls

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Fearne Cotton has told of her horror to have been used as a "thinspiration" on a pro-anorexia website. the 27-year-old tV presenter was shocked to find an old photograph of herself on the internet, which anorexics looked at and tried to emulate.

Horrified: Fearne as she finds the photo while filming her TV show

Cotton made the discovery while filming a documentary about how the web is fuelling eating disorders.

While investigating proanorexia sites, she suddenly sees herself among a list of celebrity "role models" and shrieks: "oh my God, what the hell's my name doing there? a picture of me when I was about 20 and a bit thinner than I am now.

"to think girls would use that is horrific. I wish I could take myself off this site. I don't want to be associated with this."

During the programme, Cotton visits a West London school where girls not even in their teens insist they are too fat and try diets from the internet.

She also tries out an extreme regime she finds online, where she is only allowed an apple and a cucumber a day. eat ing disorders are thought to affect seven girls in 1,000 in the UK. of the documentary, on ItV1 tonight, Cotton said: "I hope it shows girls and women that they can get help if they need it."

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