Frankie Bridge has opened up about her relationship with her body since giving birth, after seeing unedited paparazzi photos of herself in a bikini published online.
The mum-of-two, married to former footballer Wayne Bridge, was in Miami for her 30th. She was unaware she was being snapped by photographers while playing in the sea.
Posting a photo of her body before having children, and another while pregnant with her second child, Bridge wrote: “I woke to messages from friends telling me my body was all over the internet. I had ZERO idea the pictures were being taken... and I hadn’t realised I needed to be conscious of what I looked like at that moment.”
Bridge said it’s important to talk about her relationship with her body because hopefully, it will help someone else who’s in a similar situation. “Whilst I am proud of who I am and that my body was able to bring Carter and Parker into this world… it’s still something I don’t feel confident about,” she wrote.
The mum said she still stresses about how her body looks – “it’s easy to compare others and it’s a massive contributing factor to my mental health,” she wrote.
“When I was pregnant for the first time, that was when I realised I had suffered from an eating disorder in the past, having no control over what my body did during pregnancy was hard for me.”
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Bridge continued: “The list is endless; weight loss, weight gain, saggy skin, stretch marks. Mums I know you get me! I still hate the thought of going on holiday – what to wear, how to wear a bikini.
“I know for a fact that no matter how toned, how thin I am that I will never be able to see myself the way that others do. I look back at pictures and long for ‘that’ body, knowing that ‘then’, I wasn’t happy either.
“So, here’s to accepting ourselves for who we are and finding a way to be happy with it.”
The former Saturdays singer was met with hundreds of warming messages from other mums. “You are so beautiful,” one wrote. “You’re such a fantastic role model for people like myself who have suffered with eating disorders and mental health in the past. No one needs to validate your body but I would love to have your attitude towards judgement from others.”
Another wrote: “This is beautifully written and completely struck a cord with me. Thanks for sharing.”