Kesha has revealed that she was admitted to rehab for two months earlier this year in order to deal with an eating disorder.
It had been rumoured that the We R Who We R singer was dealing with substance abuse issues but in a brave and honest letter to Elle UK, the star revealed that she struggled to meet the ideals set by the music industry and it eventually led to an unhealthy relationship with her body.
“The music industry has set unrealistic expectations for what a body is supposed to look like, and I started becoming overly critical of my own body because of that. I felt like people were always lurking, trying to take pictures of me with the intention of putting them up online or printing them in magazines and making me look terrible,” she said.
“I felt like a liar, telling people to love themselves as they are, while I was being hateful to myself and really hurting my body. I wanted to control things that weren’t in my power, but I was controlling the wrong things. I convinced myself that being sick, being skinny was part of my job. It felt safer somehow.”
The singer admits that while she knew she needed help, she “didn’t know how to ask for it”. She eventually confided in her mother and admits that “that first day at the treatment centre was the scariest of my life”.
“I’ve always tried to be a crusader for loving yourself but I’d been finding it harder and harder to do personally. I felt like part of my job was to be as skinny as possible and to make that happen, I was abusing my body. My brain told me to just suck it up and press on but in my heart, I knew something had to change. So I made the decision to practice what I preach.”
“I knew I was ready to leave [rehab] when I’d gained enough confidence to get on a plane knowing there would be paparazzi at the airport at the other end. I was right—they were there. But this time, when I saw the pictures, I felt okay.”
The full text is available here.
