Lily Allen admits she's 'not in a great place mentally' and needs therapy amid 'issues with eating'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Lily Allen laid bare her struggles with mental health, revealing on a new episode of her podcast 'Miss Me?' that she was “not in a great place mentally” and had stopped eating.
The 39-year-old singer, who relocated to New York with her husband David Harbour and daughters Ethel Mary, 13, and Marnie Rose, 11, shared her candid experiences while speaking with her co-host and best friend, Miquita Oliver.
Lily Allen opens up about her mental health and eating habits
The 'Smile' hitmaker admitted that her mental health had significantly impacted her eating habits, leading her to neglect food altogether, Daily Mail reported.
“I’ve been going through a tough time over the last few months and my eating has become an issue,” she explained.
Lily reflected on her therapy sessions, sharing how her therapist questioned why she hadn’t brought up her eating struggles sooner.
“My therapist and I talk about it and she says, ‘How long has this been going on?’ And I said, ‘Well, about three years really'. And she’s like, ‘OK, why haven’t you mentioned it before?’”
The singer clarified that it wasn’t a deliberate omission, but rather a result of her mental focus.
“It’s not because I’m lying about it. It’s just because it’s not seemed at the top of the list of important things that I need to talk about, but obviously it is.”
Lily Allen reveals her 'body and brain are disconnected' due to ADHD
Lily Allen also opened up about how her ADHD played a role in her struggles.
“I’m not really good at talking about the bigger picture. That’s something about my ADHD as well, that I don’t link things,” she shared.
She described the disconnect between her mind and body, which exacerbated her eating issues.
“My body and my brain are two very separate things to me. I know a lot of people feel those two things are very connected to each other, but for me, it’s very different. I spend a lot of time in my head, and not a lot of time thinking about my body.”
Lily admitted she no longer felt hunger, despite acknowledging her body likely was.
“I’m really not in a great place mentally at the moment, and I’m not eating. I’m not hungry. I obviously am hungry, but my body and brain are so disconnected from each other that my body... the messages of hunger are not going through my body to my brain.”
She clarified that her eating struggles weren’t intentional avoidance but rather a result of being consumed by her thoughts.
“I’m not avoiding food, I’m just not thinking about it because I’m so in my head. My body’s, like, a few steps behind me.”
Lily Allen addresses weight criticism and her relationship with food
This wasn’t the first time Lily Allen had discussed her complicated relationship with food.
Last year, she admitted on the ‘Off Menu’ podcast that she often forgot to eat, particularly when looking after her two daughters.
She said she loves food but that her stomach can go "long distances without eating” due to the distractions of motherhood.
Lily also highlighted her distaste for fast food, explaining, “I have an anti-capitalist way of thinking of eating.”
In 2021, Lily faced intense public scrutiny regarding her weight loss after sharing a clip from her appearance on 'The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan.'
Critics accused her of looking “too thin,” prompting Lily to hit back. “You’ve never seen me two years completely sober, not smoking and exercising every day,” she fired back at one commenter.
To another, she wrote, “Seriously, where do you get off? You know NOTHING about me or my lifestyle. How dare you.”
Lily Allen shares why she left the UK to move to America
Earlier this year, Lily Allen shared her reasons for moving to America, describing how the cultural shift had provided a more supportive environment for her family.
Speaking on her podcast, she compared the attitudes of Americans and Brits, particularly in how they approach ambition and opportunities.
“One of the reasons I moved here is because I feel like it’s a much more encouraging environment in which my children can thrive,” she explained.
Recalling her decision to try theater for the first time, Lily said Americans celebrated her ambition.
“When I would tell Americans about it, they’d be like: ‘Oh my God, that’s so exciting! You’re gonna learn so much, you’re gonna kill it!’”
In contrast, she observed that Brits tended to approach the situation with skepticism.
“And then when I’d tell English people about it they’d be like: ‘A play? Have you ever done that before? Aren’t you scared?’ Culturally, we’re just very different.”
