‘This was not the way for my story to end ...’

AN anorexia survivor was so distraught with her body image she faced the grim possibility of death as her body was reduced to little more than a skeleton.

But Emelle Lewis eventually decided she didn’t want her life story to end that way and has now made a miraculous transformation to the point she has even taken up weight training.

The University of Huddersfield student plummeted to just five stone in the grip of the deadly disease, after six years of being tormented by her body image.

Emelle, from Mirfield, said she felt “fat and ugly” and spiralled into an unhealthy obsession with food, eating only Weetabix, rice cakes and salad, telling friends she was vegan to avoid certain foods.

She dressed herself in children’s clothes and wouldn’t sit still until 4pm and, after all her friends got boyfriends, she constantly worried about her weight. The 22-year-old ended up in hospital seven times and her family feared the worst.

But after realising she didn’t want to die Emelle began to follow accounts on Instagram for other women who have overcome eating disorders.

She began lifting weights in the gym and now eats six healthy meals a day, sharing her journey with hundreds of online followers.

Emelle said: “I remember lying in bed one day feeling like I was really dying and realising I had achieved nothing in my life and this is not the way my story is meant to end.”

She explained: “It started in high school when I wanted to lose weight because I always felt fat growing up.

“I always found it hard to fit in and when all my friends were getting boyfriends but I didn’t, I began to think it was because I was fat and ugly.

“So I joined the gym but after a few months I didn’t see weight loss so I began making myself sick and from then on it spiralled out of control and I ended up being hospitalised seven times over the years.

“When I was ill I didn’t believe there was anything really wrong with me. I genuinely believed I could maintain that weight and still live a fairly normal life. I didn’t want to get rid of my eating disorder.

“I refused to comply with treatment and was convinced that everyone was against me, lying to me and trying to ruin my life.” Emelle has been in recovery since May 2016. She now trains in the gym in the evenings, eats a balanced diet with lots of protein and treats herself to a ‘cheat meal’ at the weekend such as a takeaway, meal out or doughnuts.

“When I first decided to choose recovery I was terrified,” she added. “I told my mum first that I wanted to start weight training to help me recover and she believed in me 100%.

“That day she made so many phone calls to different personal trainers to see if someone would work with me. Despite relapsing seven times, my mum always believed in me and was willing to do everything to help me recover.” When all my friends were getting boyfriends but I didn’t I began to think it was because I was fat and ugly.

Emelle puts her newfound love of her body down to watching it transform through growing muscle and eating well.

She said: “Now, I still have bad days towards my body image but most days I am proud of what I have achieved and proud of my body. I love watching myself gradually improving at the gym and getting stronger, knowing that I have done this all on my own.

“Overcoming this illness has now made me such a strong person mentally, I see the world through different eyes. I am thankful for everyday I’m alive and I try to be as positive as I can in any situation. I feel like I can achieve anything now.”