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OOC: TRIGGER WARNING // EATING DISORDER. . . . . PUBLIC WARNING'S MYLES DEMPSEY REVEALS BATTLE WITH ANOREXIA & DEPRESSIONTHE YOUNG SINGER PLANNED ON TAKING HIS OWN LIFE THIS YEARPublic Warning star Myles Dempsey has opened up about his secret battle with anorexia and the impact it has had on his mental health, almost resulting in a suicide attempt in September. Speaking exclusively to Culture Uncut, Dempsey revealed to us how he has been a "lifelong hater" of his body and how he wishes to tackle the stigma surrounding eating disorders, especially within young men. The 20-year-old Irishman may be living the life of Riley in the eyes of onlookers. He is best known as the tertiary singer and guitar player in successful pop/R&B boyband Public Warning. Dempsey shares the spotlight with lead singer Beau Elliot, secondary lead Carter Lee Alafouzos and backing vocalists, Zander Lyons and Jake Denton. As part of the group, Myles has enjoyed four consecutive #1 hit singles, a further top 5 hit as well as a chart-topping and critically acclaimed album in the form of "A Moveable Feast". Behind the accolades and adoration, however, lays the tragic story of yet another young man suffering in his own body and mind. Myles bravely revealed to Culture Uncut that he has been battling anorexia for multiple years and that 2020 offered his biggest fight yet, resulting in contemplating suicide and causing all work to grind to a halt in the Public Warning camp. Following the dramatic firing of former member Declan Harding and replacing him with Jake Denton, Public Warning were eager to get back into the studio earlier this year. Coming off the back of a highly successful debut album campaign and in the midst of a media uproar regarding their controversial line-up change, the boys wanted to strike while the iron was hot and release new music. Fans were promised a new single in autumn, however, nothing materialised. All five members then fell silent across all social media. Aside from Carter Lee's guest appearance on ITV2's "Don't Hate The Playaz", the band more or less fell dormant for the last quarter of 2020. Myles has revealed that following his admission to his disorder and suicidal thoughts, his four bandmates immediately threw in the towel regarding all music commitments in order to focus on Dempsey and aid in his recovery. Myles wrote:"I remember it all so vividly. It was the worst breakdown I had ever had. I had locked myself in my room, not wanting to deal with anyone. Feeling like I didn't deserve to have friends. I just sat in my boxers, clutching a pillow to bite and bawl into, while looking at myself in the mirror, absolutely loathing the image in front of me. I felt so grotesque, so inadequate, so unworthy. It was beyond just my physical appearance. I was so deprived of all sorts of nutrients and vitamins, as well as sleep, that my mind was spiralling. I was utterly distraught and disgusted with myself. From my body to my soul. At that point, I had developed a more severe body dysmorphia. The breakdown that night in September got me so enraged and horrified with myself that I stormed out of my room with the intention on going to the bathroom, raiding the medicine cabinet and just downing whatever I could. Thankfully, I snapped out of it midway, grabbed an old jumper of mine from the laundry hamper, threw it on and ran downstairs in an attempt to get some fresh air."
"I planned on going out into the back garden but as I stepped into the living room, I was surprised to see Beau and Carter sat there. This was at like 4 in the morning. I had already stomped into the room, red-faced and teary-eyed by the time it had registered that they were there. I couldn't hide the fact that I was upset. When Beau asked what was wrong, I spent a few seconds trying to conjure up some excuse but I couldn't hide it any longer. My emotions were so heightened that I just fell into his arms, bawled some more and confessed it all. The weight of nearly two decades of holding onto my "dirty" little secret was finally lifted. The boys have been my rock throughout this." While the situation came to light in 2020, Myles' battle has been ongoing for many years. Even before being thrust into the spotlight, Myles was experiencing these thoughts at a mere five years old. "I remember looking at all my other friends and thinking I looked like a big balloon in comparison. What also sticks with me is a babysitter of mine telling me that sweets makes you fat and lose all of your teeth. As a kid with a real sweet tooth, that really impacted me. I thought that it was all true. I loved chocolate so therefore I really am fat!". Dempsey's body dysmorphia only grew when he started to attend secondary school, with his focus not only being on his weight but also his body mass and stature. "In my teens I was super skinny, even though I thought I wasn't for the most part. My gaunt figure was so extreme, however, that the boys in my P.E class would point it out and make jokes about me being "anorexic". I'm really tall, pale and have quite a small frame so that didn't help either. People saying I look "skeletal", mocking my "knobbly knees"...it made me spiral even more. Again, I felt inadequate, so I started exercising to an extreme extent. I wanted to build muscle and tone but, of course, I wasn't eating the right things and in the end was just burning off the little calories I actually had."Myles stated that his fellow bandmates and close friends, as well as his mother, were all "blindsided" by his revelation. Despite being an issue for 15 years, Myles claims that he was "really good" at hiding it and knew all of the "tricks" to keep people off the trail. "Aside from mean changing room comments regarding my weight from boys in school, nobody ever sat me down and asked me about my weight. I don't blame people for not noticing it. I was really sneaky with it for the longest time. I knew how to hide food, cleverly rearrange my plate, run the shower so they wouldn't hear me throw up, wore real baggy clothes everyday to mask what was underneath, even secretly stored laxatives in my room. For years, everyone just thought I was the boy who liked baggy clothes and had a really small appetite. Nobody thought twice about it."The singer lost his father in 2018 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. The devastating loss alongside the newfound fame as 1/5th of Public Warning spurred on what would become the "darkest" two years of Dempsey's life. The boyband member admits that the pressures of being in a pop group, comments from online trolls and the death of his father all evolved his habits into means of punishing himself. "Not sure of the psychology behind it but when my dad passed away, I just said to myself that I wasn't going to eat. Not sure if it was an act of rebellion against God, a protest in order to bring my father back but, for whatever reason, that's where my mind went. My beloved dad was no longer here so what was the point in anything? Since his death, I've had more breakdowns and dark thoughts than I ever had in the ten or so years prior." Myles also claims that comments on social media regarding his looks are extremely triggering, hence why the star is seldom seen online as opposed to some of his other band members. After talking to specialists, Myles was diagnosed with anorexia and clinical depression but has since been put on medication and into a programme to aid him in recovering from his eating disorder. Although still undergoing treatment, Myles has revealed that he is making "excellent" progress and that he is "extremely thankful" for his band members reaching out and finding the help needed. The singer aims to return to work and wishes to tackle the stigma surrounding eating disorders, especially in young men, after his "eye-opening" experience. Myles wrote:"There's such a taboo surrounding eating disorders. Many people think it's a vanity thing. Many think it's nothing deeper than making yourself throw up. Many even think it's not real and just a way of attention seeking. You take all of those toxic mindsets and then think about how society must view men who suffer with it. So many men feel emasculated because "body issues" are seen as a "female thing". Men aren't allowed to get depressed because men just aren't supposed to have feelings. It's all bogus. Suicide is the biggest killer in people under 35 and men are three times more likely to take their lives. It's a serious conversation we need to have. We need to be more informed and empathetic when it comes to mental health issues. I hope that with me speaking out, it will shine a light on the situation. I know it's a hard thing to face. I have just now spoke up about this demon that has been haunting me since my childhood but I hope and I believe that one day, we will get there and eradicate all of the stigma surrounding it." Despite being less common than some other conditions, anorexia is one of the leading causes of mental health-related deaths - as a result of malnutrition or suicide. Myles and Culture Uncut have teamed up with eating disorder charity "Beat", with revenue from this online article going towards the organisation as well as a donation link in the bio sections of all of Myles' social media accounts. |
WEEKEND: BILLY • DUSTYN • OSCAR • RILEY • SCOTT PUBLIC WARNING: BEAU • CARTER LEE • JAKE • MYLES • ZANDER THE STAT NERDS: BRIAN • CHRISTOPHER THE ZONE: BLAKE • CHRIS • JASON • LIAM
JOSHUA GRIMMIE • LINCOLN • LAYLA • MERCEDES • MICHELLE GREEN ANDREA • DENEIL • CHICAGO NOBODY • BLOOM • SONNY • VICTORIA BLACK REUBEN • ELLIE-GRACE SUMMERS • ALFIE SUMMERS • MICAH DELISLE JAMIE JACKSON • KONSTANTIN • FAYETTE • SAYYID |
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