Top 20 Famous Athletes With Eating Disorders

Famous Athletes With Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a serious problem among many athletes today and can negatively influence their athletic ability. These disorders affect both men and women and occur among a variety of ages. In athletes who compete in sports where physical size and weight matters, eating disorders are even more common. In most cases, eating disorder treatment is necessary for recovery.

The most popular types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Among these three, anorexia and bulimia are most common problem among athletes. Nearly every athlete who has recovered from an eating disorder has sought eating disorder treatment at a specialized eating disorder treatment center. Athletes who have suffered from eating disorders include:

1. Nadia Comaneci – This famous gymnast has won 9 Olympic gold medals and is well-known for being the first gymnast to have achieved the score of a perfect 10. Despite all of this, Nadia struggled with both anorexia and bulimia. Today she has overcome these eating disorders through eating disorder treatment and teaches gymnastics.
2. Mia St. John – A female boxer, Mia overcame anorexia but continued experiencing body-image issues for many years. During her career she received the title of female Lightweight Champion of the World.
3. Bahne Rabe – The Olympic rower is a winner of 8 gold medals. He also however suffered from anorexia, an eating disorder which would eventually kill him. He experienced severe weight loss and weakness before his death and eventually developed a lung infection which was the primary cause of his retirement from the sport.
4. Cathy Rigby – Cathy was a gymnast, speaker and actress. She suffered from bulimia for 12 years of her life. At the World Championships she became the first woman in the United States to win a medal in World Gymnastics. She is known to have popularized gymnastics in the United States.
5. Christian Moser – Moser was a ski-jumper but slowly declined in performance of this sport due to his eating disorder.
6. Eva-Maria Fitze – A German figure skater, Eva became the youngest person to win a gold medal at the German Championships. She was 14. This young figure skater also suffered from bulimia, and eating disorder which interfered with her figure skating career.
7. Zina Garrison – Zina played tennis and successfully won 2 Olympic medals. Unfortunately, at the same time she also was suffering from bulimia. At age 19, she began struggling with this disorder and may have partly developed it as a result of overwhelming stress.
8. Helga Brathen – Helga, a gymnast, died from the complications of anorexia at the age of 29.
9. Whitney Spannuth – This cross-country runner developed an eating disorder in an attempt to become thinner, hoping it would help in competitions. Her eating disorder however eventually caused her severe health complications and made her body very weak. Bulimia and anorexia nearly caused her to miss her chance at the Olympics.
10. Franziska van Almsick – During her swimming career, Franziska, also known as “Franzi”, suffered from a variety of problems which caused constant highs and lows in her career. In her teens, she developed anorexia, which continued for a few years. This athlete began swimming at an early age and set a number of world records.

If you or a loved one struggle with an eating disorder, eating disorder treatment at an eating disorder residential center is available. Bulimia help and anorexia treatment are often both available. Eating disorder treatment differs according to each facility but most offer cognitive behavioral therapy as well as specialized anorexia and bulimia programs. These programs may include yoga, nutritional counseling, and art therapy.