‘I saw Victoria Beckham’s look of terror when Parky quizzed her on her anorexia on TV during toxic 2000s WAG years and I broke down in tears because I endured the same thing’ reveals LIZZIE CUNDY

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Victoria Beckham revealed in her new Netflix documentary, released this week, that she has struggled with an eating disorder.

Lizzie Cundy, a friend and fellow celebrity, shared that she cried while watching the speaker discuss her difficult experiences, as she’s faced similar hardships herself.

A clip from Victoria Beckham’s 2000 appearance on the Michael Parkinson show recently went viral, highlighting a moment where he questioned her about anorexia. Lizzie Cundy, who was also present, said she could see the fear in Victoria’s eyes as she responded to the difficult question, and that she understood how upsetting it must have been.

Parkinson directly asked, ‘Regarding the recent reports in the press about you having anorexia, are you actually anorexic?’

She immediately replied: ‘No I’m not!’ to which he hits back: ‘How do you know?’

Victoria explained, ‘It’s simple – I eat, and people with anorexia don’t! I eat a really healthy diet. What bothered me most when all of this was in the news was knowing I’m perfectly healthy, and my family agrees.’

Many young fans admire the Spice Girls, and I worried about the message it might send if they thought you *had* to be thin. I used to be bigger, and I lost weight after having Brooklyn, but this is just my current body. It did make me a little anxious, though.

Victoria, age 51, is known for her relationship with David Beckham. However, before him, she was married to footballer Jason Cundy for 18 years, from 1994 to 2012, and often faced public attention regarding her appearance.

Victoria revealed in her Netflix show that she used to be unhappy with her appearance and started severely restricting her diet, which she now recognizes as a very unhealthy pattern.

And Lizzie suffered the same inner turmoil, with her eating habits also addressed on a TV show. 

While filming the ITV show *Our Shirley Valentine Summer* in 2018, Annabel Giles, who sadly passed away recently, wondered why she wasn’t being offered any food.

Lizzie recalled Annabel asking her at the table why she wasn’t eating, noting the cameras were filming at the time. She explained it seemed like a normal question, but she simply wasn’t feeling very hungry.

I started to feel emotional and got a little defensive, and the girls pointed out that I hadn’t eaten much all day.

I’ll never forget how I felt in that moment. I just wanted everyone to give me some space – it wasn’t my usual reaction, but I felt completely cornered, like a rat in a trap. All the questions were overwhelming, and I knew the cameras were rolling, with people probably wondering why I was getting so upset. It was awful.

It’s those moments that really get to you, because you suddenly feel like all eyes are on you. You worry people are judging everything you do, even something simple like eating, and it can be really stressful.

‘And I had that look that Victoria had, that terror.’  

Victoria famously appeared on Chris Evans’ 90s show, TFI Fridays, and was asked to weigh herself on live television shortly after giving birth to her son, Brooklyn.

Oh my gosh, when I heard Lizzie talk about it, my heart just *broke* for her! She shared this story about being made to weigh herself in front of *everyone* at school – can you imagine?! It was so awful, and she said it was exactly what she went through. It’s just… devastating to think about, and it made me feel so protective of her. It totally resonated, and I just want to hug her and tell her she’s amazing.

She recalled attending a convent school where the nuns frequently commented on her weight, telling her she needed to gain weight. She found this particularly upsetting because she was already very thin and they would say it in front of others, leaving her wondering how she could possibly weigh more.

‘I’ll never forget that, being weighed in front of my class because I knew I was underweight.

The fear in Victoria’s eyes was truly terrifying. Seeing it with Parkinson was heartbreaking, and I couldn’t help but cry, because the situation felt incredibly harsh.

It was a truly awful experience, and I’m still haunted by how frightening it was. I’m certain Victoria felt the same way about that interview with Parkinson – it’s hard to believe it actually happened.

Despite their different lives, these two women have surprisingly similar and painful childhoods.

Both Victoria and Lizzie experienced embarrassment about their looks during their teenage years. For Victoria, this began with hurtful comments from a teacher, which started a long struggle with body image issues.

She recalled her theatre school instructor telling her that at the end of a performance, they would bring in a different group of performers. He meant that they weren’t considered as visually attractive as some of the others, so they would be brought in from the back, out of sight.

Victoria’s mother, Jackie, also shared that someone told her daughter, ‘You’re overweight and will be placed at the back.’

Seeing those moments reminded Lizzie of when she was also moved to the end of the line.

What resonated with Victoria was when she described feeling overlooked – specifically, when her mother reminisced about her childhood dancing and that particular moment.

I recall my time as a model, and it’s funny looking back at how I used to pretend to be older than I was – I was only fourteen at the time.

I lied about my age to get a modeling job, and during the audition, with a lot of other girls, the woman put me towards the back and told me I had “puppy fat.” I was shocked – I remember thinking, ‘puppy fat?’ – and that comment has really stayed with me all these years.

I became very self-conscious about my baby fat when I was around 14 years old. I had a round face, and that feeling really stayed with me.

Lizzie’s eating disorder caused her to be rejected from acting and modeling jobs. Casting directors and agencies asked her to gain weight because she had dropped to only seven stone.

I wasn’t being hired because of my weight, and I missed out on a major job opportunity because they said I wasn’t suitable for the role.

Oh my gosh, I’ll never forget it! The casting director saw me for a callback, and the director just… stared. He said I’d lost *so* much weight, it was actually a problem! He was worried I looked… too different, not right for the part. Can you believe it? He actually told me I needed to *gain* weight! It was insane, but also… kind of a compliment, right? It meant they were really looking at me!

‘It was a kind of trigger and I was able to gain weight.

Going through my divorce was incredibly difficult, and unfortunately, I fell back into some old, unhealthy patterns. I completely lost my appetite and ended up losing a significant amount of weight. It was a really dark time, honestly.

‘I went down to seven stone, it was because I couldn’t control what was going on with my marriage.’

Control is the big player in the destructive cycle. 

Honestly, listening to Victoria talk about it just broke my heart. She said she really started to lose herself, to question everything. It was like she didn’t even *recognize* the person staring back at her in the mirror, and it was all because she let everything get to her. It was so raw and real, and it just completely resonated with me. It’s like she was describing *my* feelings sometimes, you know?

I was so focused on my weight, I lost touch with what was real. I was incredibly self-critical and never felt satisfied with my appearance. I’ve gone through phases of being both heavier and very thin, and dealing with those constant changes was difficult.

I felt powerless over the stories and photos circulating about me, and I think I wanted to regain some control. I tried to do that by controlling my appearance – specifically what I wore and my weight. Looking back, I realize I was controlling my weight in a very damaging way.

I remember Lizzie saying something that really stuck with me. She explained that while she couldn’t manage everything happening around her – especially the constant media attention – she *could* control what she ate. Honestly, that’s when it clicked for me, and it’s actually when my own struggles with food really began. It was a surprisingly powerful moment, realizing she was trying to regain control in the only way she felt she could.

The issue wasn’t really the food itself. It was about feeling in control, and for some reason, food seemed like the only thing I *could* control.

‘Everything else was not right, but I could control the food. It kind of never leaves you.’

Lizzie is grateful that Victoria has spoken openly about her struggles, believing it will offer support and hope to others.

She enthusiastically thanked Victoria for sharing so openly and honestly, praising the mother of four.

I understand how challenging it is to discuss this, especially publicly. I’ve personally experienced it and know how hard it can be to open up and admit what happened, particularly when being filmed.

‘I thought she was so brave, and I know that is going to help so many others.

Okay, so she *finally* said it! We all kind of suspected something was up, and honestly, there were times I was really worried seeing how thin she looked. But for her to actually *admit* she was struggling and share that in the documentary? That’s huge! I really think it’s going to make a difference for so many people who are going through the same thing. It’s just…amazing that she was brave enough to do that.

If this story has been upsetting, BEAT Eating Disorders offers support. You can reach them by phone at 0808 801 0677 or by email at help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk.

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2025-10-13 02:36