At the age of 17 I was diagnosed with a severe case of Anorexia Nervosa. Since then, I have had on and off battles with my illness and was admitted to a daycare eating disorder unit at the Maudsley Hospital in February this year, in which I am still attending. After 10 years of suffering, I am on a positive path towards recovery and I am finally realising who I am without the eating disorder being a strong part of my identity - despite previous cases of relapse. 

Sadly, the recent loss of my dad has made the eating disorder grow stronger as it is my default way of coping during this difficult time. My motivation for recovery for living a better life for myself is how I picture my future and additionally, I want to do my dad proud as I promised him before he passed away that I would find the strength to defeat this awful illness. He was always my rock and I hold a lot of guilt that he didn't get to see me flourish without the hold of my eating disorder. Recovering and living my life as he would have wanted is what keeps me going alongside the support of my amazing boyfriend, Jamie, and all my incredible friends around the world. 

I waited up to 8 months for therapy due to lack of funding which only gave my eating disorder time to get worse. At this point I was strongly advised to commit to a more intensive treatment by my consultant which resulted in my place at daycare. This shows that treatment is essential and should be priority in order for a successful recovery.

My eating disorder has been a secret for so long (although some of you may have twigged on) and I have suffered in silence due to the stigma associated with mental health. Finally, I am coming clean about my struggles and feel this will be the first step into making a complete recovery. Stigma around mental health is due to the feelings of shame or embarrassment which is exactly why I have decided to be so open as this is how I've felt. 

The national charity for eating disorders, BEAT, have offered me a place to understand my eating disorder as well as provide support groups for sufferers. The money raised for BEAT goes towards...

• Help campaign for better treatment and understanding
• Provide vital helplines
• Online support groups and message boards
• Training for professionals

On Saturday 6 October I will take on the ultimate fear facing challenge and leap from an aeroplane at 10,000ft, alongside brave fundraisers including my close friend Megan Brewer who is also fighting against anorexia.

Here are a few statistics on the severity of eating disorders and why donating is highly important.

• Eating disorders affect a recorded number of 1.25 million people across the UK however, due to the lack of awareness and stigma, many sufferers are reluctant to get help
• On average, sufferers face an average wait of three and a half years for specialist treatment, with the average illness lasting six years
• Anorexia has a higher mortality rate than any other mental illness

Beat exists to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. They offer free services 365 days a year, and aim to support 40,000 people this year.

Any donations will be hugely appreciated and together we can fight this. Although this is extremely difficult for me, opening up about my experiences is a step closer to combating the stigma. 

Tizzy x