Nice ELLE photoshoot
'I'm a funny looking thing,' says Lily Allen as she claims she suffers from body dysmorphic disorder
on 11th December 2009
She’s one of the most successful pop stars in recent years and one of her most famous hits is called Smile.
But despite landing a modelling role for Chanel this year, Lily Allen reveals she suffers from huge insecurities about her body.
In a revealing interview, Ms Allen, 24, said she believes she suffers from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
Confidence issues: Lily Allen, showing off her figure in a slinky cream dress, believes she suffers from body dysmorphic disorder
That is a condition where people are excessively worried about a part of their body which they perceive to have a defect. They then continue to believe this despite reassurances about their appearance.
When asked by the interviewer what she sees in the mirror in the morning, Ms Allen – whose current boyfriend, building manager Sam Cooper, is not in showbusiness - responded: ‘Someone who is more overweight than they actually are.
‘I’ve got a touch of dysmorphia. I was sitting in bed last night and I caught sight of myself in the mirror.
‘I said: "God, I’m a funny looking thing."
Flaunting her figure: Lily wearing a tiny outfit at her Liverpool gig this week
‘My boyfriend said: "You are but in a very sweet and beautiful way."
Despite her protestations of insecurity, Ms Allen has flaunted her body in a series of skimpy outfits, and even lingerie, during her concerts this year.
In the interview, Ms Allen told of her personal trauma and revealed she has suffered three breakdowns in the last six years.
Frumpy vs flirty: A dressed-down Lily (L) dining with her mum at The Ivy last month, and a more revealing outfit in London last week
Ms Allen - who is the daughter of actor and comedian Keith Allen - has confessed she even ended up being admitted to famous rehab clinic The Priory following the first breakdown six years ago, when she was just 18 years old.
The full interview with Lily is in the new issue of Q magazine, on sale now
She told the new issue of music magazine Q: ‘Then there were the several breakdowns that I had. I’d say I’ve had three this century, which isn’t great.
‘There was one when I was 18 and I went into the Priory. I’ve had two really low points since.’
Ms Allen also spoke of the miscarriage she suffered in January 2008 while with her ex-boyfriend Ed Simons, a DJ who has enjoyed considerable chart success as one of half of chat-topping dance act The Chemical Brothers.
Ms Allen - who was four months pregnant at the time - admitted: ‘On a personal level, my miscarriage was a horrible moment.’
It emerged earlier this week that Ms Allen – who has always lived in London - is planning to move to the countryside with Mr Cooper.
The pair, who have been dating for five months, are planning to buy a luxurious five-bedroom home - valued at £1.3 million - in a village in the Cotswolds in the South West of England, where her father also has a home.
‘I spend a lot of time in the countryside near my dad,’ she said.
Getting serious: Lily and her boyfriend Sam Cooper, pictured in Venice in October, are moving in together
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