'Downton Abbey' Star Jessica Brown Findlay Opens Up About Eating Disorder

Jessica Brown Findlay is bravely opening up about her battle with an eating disorder for the past 13 years.

The 27-year-old Downton Abbey star was inspired to share her story because of a new project.

“I’m doing Hamlet, and it explores a lot about mental health, and…I’ve had an eating disorder since I was 14,” she revealed to the Daily Telegraph.

Jessica continued, “I felt alone for so long, and I just hid. Then I started talking and held my head up and instead of saying sorry decided to tell myself that I matter. For a while, I really shied away from things.”

She went on to explain that through therapy, she helped herself “feel safe and good and healthy.”

“We can feed certain ideas of what beauty is and what success is. There has to come a time where those aren’t the rules anymore. Then we can have a mature conversation about what that is about, and about depression…It’s about learning to stand up and say, ‘This is me, and that’s OK.’ I’m not going to be a better actor if I’m a dress size smaller. It’s nothing to do with my brain,” Jessica concluded.

We applaud Jessica for sharing her story!