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20th Oct 2021

Evanna Lynch opens up about her eating disorder in new memoir

Sarah McKenna Barry

The memoir, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting, is out now.

Evanna Lynch, the Irish actor who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, shares her experience with eating disorders in her new memoir.

During an interview with RTÉ’s Today, Evanna said that her book, which is titled The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting is “no fairytale”.

She said: “I wanted to write a book about that journey towards self-love, self-acceptance. I think you have to be honest about the ugly parts, the self-hate.”

Evanna continued: “I wanted to write a book about eating disorders and recovery, that wasn’t triggering, that wasn’t focusing on the physical symptoms, to discuss the depths of what was going on, to not get distracted by the shocking details, all the stuff you see on the surface.”

The Termonfeckin actor was hospitalised for anorexia when she was just 11, and said that reading Harry Potter helped take her mind off her eating disorder.

During a 2018 appearance on Dancing with the Stars, she said: “Anyone who’s had an eating disorder knows it completely takes over your life.

“The only thing that could actually take my attention apart from that was the Harry Potter series.”

She continued: “I started writing to JK Rowling and she wrote back and we became pen friends after that. I was in and out of hospital and I would be getting these letters.”

Evanna has also been promoting her memoir on Instagram, which hit bookshelves this week.

Taking to Instagram, she explained how she felt to see it finally be released.

She wrote: “People keep kindly asking how I feel about the release and all I can do is shrug.

“I think the past couple months have been so intense and I’ve had so many little meltdowns that I’ve outrun my worries now and am in a state of surrender.”

She added: “It’s a messy, weird, long book but that’s probably a good reflection of me as a person. It is what it is. I hope it makes you laugh and question and think.”

If you have been affected by any of the details in this story you can contact Bodywhys on 01-2107906 or email [email protected]