Reality star Michelle Duggar opened up about her struggle with bulimia as a young adult in a recent episode of "19 Kids and Counting."
The 48-year-old said that low self-esteem led her to make dangerous choices, but she has been delivered.
"Before I came to know the Lord, I had been struggling in my self worth, just feeling like I needed to measure up to all my friends," she told TLC's cameras.
The matriarch said she was active as a cheerleader and gymnast, but was unhappy with her metabolism. "I began to have a wrong view of who I was, I gained weight so easily," she explained.
"I ended up starting a bad habit of making myself get sick after I ate," Duggar continued. "As I was in that process, no one knew."
Duggar also discussed her eating disorder in the book "Growing Up Duggar," authored by her daughters Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger. "I have been open with my struggles with the kids before," she told PEOPLE last year.
"We talk about how God has brought us out of different things along life's way. When the girls were writing their book, they brought this up and I thought, if my sharing it is going to help another young lady, then I want to share it."
Although she now adopts healthy eating and exercise habits, the mother of 19 acknowledged that her struggle is one shared by women across the globe.
"I think all girls struggle with the same body issues," she admitted. "The struggle is always going to be there."
The family frequently shares details of the personal life—including weddings, births, medical conditions, and more—with fans via their reality show, blog and social media accounts.
"19 Kids and Counting" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
