Vanessa Feltz has spoken candidly about her mother putting her on a diet at the tender age of nine.
The esteemed radio and TV host has never shied away from discussing her struggles with body image, and recently delved into how early dieting shaped her relationship with food during an open conversation with the Loose Women panel – Charlene White, Brenda Edwards, Judi Love, and Kelle Bryan.
Vanessa shared on Thursday’s episode that while her family enjoyed full meals, she was served mere grapefruit for dinner, an experience that fundamentally altered her views on eating.
Speaking on the show today, she said: “I was a little girl and I wasn’t a chubby girl who likes eating cake, I was a skinny kind that wasn’t very interested in food. And then I did this thing that my parents never forgave me for, which in those days you called developing. I was getting these very tiny bosoms and I was about nine.
“My mum rushed me off to the specialist and was asking what’s going on with her, and they said ‘well Mrs Feltz she’s developing’, and my grandmother said that was ridiculous as I was only nine, almost as if I had done it on purpose. I think my mum thought my waist would go in and my hips would come out, and I think she panicked I would be fat.”
Reflecting on her upbringing in the 1960s, Vanessa acknowledged the pressure to emulate the ultra-slim physique favoured at the time, similar to that of iconic model Twiggy.
“So from that moment she started dieting me, I was nine. We were all having a chicken soup with vermicelli and lovely dumplings and everything and Vanessa’s having half a grapefruit. I was nine! I felt as if I was being punished but I didn’t know what I’d done,” she said.
“From that moment, my mother became my diet police which is very difficult, because if every time you raise a fork to your mouth, your mother looks horrified, what are you supposed to do. It made me hungry all the time.”
Vanessa clarified that her mother’s actions weren’t intentional, though they profoundly impacted her body image for life. She opened up about how challenging it was to deal with public commentary on her appearance, admitting that the scrutiny took its toll.
Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 12.30pm.