Former England cricket captain Freddie Flintoff has revealed he once battled the eating disorder bulimia.
The sports star says he made himself sick in cricket grounds and restaurants at the start of his sporting career after he was on the receiving end of “fat lad” jibes about his weight.
Freddie Flintoff
Freddie makes the startling revelations in a new Sky1 documentary, 'From Lords To the Ring', about his new career as a heavyweight boxer.
He said: “I used to be a really skinny kid. I didn’t drink. Then I started putting weight on. My lifestyle was great when I started living on my own. I got to 20 stone.
“I wasn’t sure how to go about losing weight. I started being sick. I would eat and put my fingers down my throat.
“Everyone in the team hierarchy thought it was great because I was losing weight. I was training but I wasn’t eating. I’ve thrown up in cricket grounds around the world and in restaurants. I lost about 15kg doing that.
“It’s not the right way to go. You start off doing it if you have a bad meal. Before you know it, even good meals you are getting rid of. It becomes a real habit.”
Freddie - who is now on a strict diet ahead of his first fight - says he no longer suffers from the disorder.
“It is something that happened a while ago," he said.
“The only way really to lose weight is to train more, eat less and eat the right things.”