Sophie Turner Opens Up On Having A Live-In Therapist To Help With Eating Disorder
Topics: Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones, Mental Health, US News, Celebrity, Health
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones, Mental Health, US News, Celebrity, Health
Former Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner has opened up about having a live-in therapist to help her deal with an eating disorder.
Turner, who lives in Miami with Jonas Brothers star Joe Jonas, rose to fame after being cast as Sansa Stark in the hit HBO show when she was just 13 years old, spending years in the limelight as the series garnered fans cross the globe.
The soon-to-be mum-of-two has long been candid about her mental health and the impacts of fame, and opened up further during a new interview ahead of the release of her new show The Staircase.
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Speaking to Elle, the actor described her 'love-hate relationship with social media' and admitted she wishes she'd 'never' got herself involved with it in the first place.
Online platforms have had a negative impact on her body image, Turner explained, with comments from members of the public leaving her questioning the way she was portrayed to the wider world.
She said: "I look at the comments on Instagram and think, 'Oh, f**k. Everyone thinks this about me.' It would completely consume me."
Now 26 years old, Turner recalled 'for a long time' being 'quite sick with an eating disorder'.
She described having a 'companion', a live-in therapist who was on stand-by in the home to ensure Turner 'wasn’t doing anything unhealthy with [her] eating habits', and recalled the best advice she received from the companion during their time working together.
She said: "One night, I was playing over and over in my mind a comment I’d seen on Instagram.
"I was like, 'I’m so fat, I’m so undesirable,' and spinning out. She said to me, 'You know, no one actually cares. I know you think this, but nobody else is thinking it. You’re not that important.’
"That was the best thing anyone could have told me."
The actor has now decided to delete the Instagram app from her phone, explaining she tries to distance herself from social media after noticing it makes her 'incredibly anxious'.
She said: "Having it off my phone has been so helpful. Now, if I do have to go on it, it’s for a few minutes once or twice a week, rather than hours every day.
"It’s made such a difference. Live real life - it’s much more fun."
With her second child now on the way, Turner still has regular therapy sessions and occasionally goes to a retreat to take time for herself.
She still has days when feels depressed or anxious, but said the feelings are 'manageable' now as she has the 'tools' to combat them and knows what she has to do to get herself 'in a good headspace'.
Looking ahead, Turner has hopes to move back to her home country of England to be around friends and family and further improve her mental health.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, call the BEAT Eating Disorders helpline on 0808 801 0677. Helplines are open 365 days a year from 9am–8pm during the week, and 4pm–8pm on weekends and bank holidays. Alternatively, you can try the one-to-one webchat