Victoria's Secret Model Apologises For Promoting Clean Eating

Former Victoria's Secret model Bridget Malcolm has opened up about her battle with body dysmorphia in a brave and candid blog post.

Malcolm told her 315,000 Instagram followers she wants to "apologise for some of the things I wrote and spoke about over the past couple of years."

The Australian model said she never lied about what she ate, but admitted that "the amounts I ate were never enough."

"When I claimed that I ate loads, I thought that I did," she explained. "I would fill up on foods that were low calorie, and think that I was eating a healthy balanced diet. I was extremely active, sometimes training 2-3 hours a day, and thought that that made me fit.

"But if someone offered me a piece of fruit to eat, I would become so anxious and fearful at the thought of having to eat it...that I would nearly be sick with worry."

Malcolm, who has also walked the runway for Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney, said she now knows she was "completely in the depths of body dysmorphia" and worries she wasn't always a positive role model.

"I do genuinely want to be someone who uses her platform mindfully and in a positive way, and even when I was at my most unwell, I wanted to be a good role model," she wrote.

"I definitely was aware of the dissonance between the reality of my life and the public persona I was putting out there. It really made me unhappy and for this I am thankful, as it was through this great discomfort that I found my way out. I truly believe that out of the conflict lies the solution. It just requires becoming extremely uncomfortable at times."

Malcolm ended her blog post with a positive message about her new, super-honest approach to what she puts out on social media.

"I only want to speak the truth. So I intend to share with you all my good and bad days – I am no longer hiding behind the veneer of 'clean' eating," she wrote. "That word aggravates me. It is 2016 talk for disordered eating. It also means absolutely nothing. Beyond making sure my food isn’t contaminated with bacteria, clean eating is not a thing in my life. Eating is."

Malcolm's candour has been welcomed by followers, who have left an array of positive comments on her Instagram post about her body dysmorphia. "I’ve been there too. Thanks for being brave and strong enough to speak out," one wrote.