- Lily Allen responded to a body shamer on Instagram who said they had "never seen her this thin."
- The musician has dealt with substance misuse and eating disorders throughout her life.
- In response to the body-shaming comment, she shared that she's two years sober, quit smoking, and exercises daily.
Commenting on someone's weight is generally not a good idea—mostly because it's rude, but also, you never know why a person weighs what they do. It could be a sensitive topic related to various health issues (anything from a thyroid disorder to an eating disorder can contribute to weight loss) and Lily Allen's latest interaction with a body-shaming "fan" exemplifies how a seemingly innocent comment can do more harm than good.
On July 24, the English singer-songwriter, 36, shared a clip promoting her interview on The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan when a follower dropped in to say they were "worried" about her. "I feel like we've grown up together and I've never seen you this thin," the commenter wrote, per Yahoo! Life. "Your fans care about you, your health, and we love you very much. Please take care dear. ❤️❤️❤️"
Allen clearly didn't appreciate the out-of-touch sentiment and replied, "You've never seen me two years completely sober, not smoking, and exercising every day." The post's comments have since been turned off.
On July 28, Allen celebrated two years of being drug and alcohol-free—a huge milestone for the artist who has had her ups and downs with addiction and eating disorders. In 2018, she told Cosmopolitan U.K. that the thought of doing photoshoots and red carpet events led her to stop eating, adding, "Everything that I ate would come back up."
She also dealt with substance misuse while on tour with Miley Cyrus in 2014. “I was supporting this girl who was much younger and more attractive than I felt and I just started acting out in all manner of ways,” she explained on The Recovery podcast in January.
“I started cheating on my husband and I had always really drunk alcohol to take the edge off of the drugs, and then I realized I was getting up in the morning and downing those mini bottles of vodka or whisky or whatever was left, without the drugs any more."
At her worst, she contemplated trying heroin. “But… I had been in a scene where I had seen what happens to people who use heroin, and knew that when that thought popped into my head it was time to confront my demons, and that was about five years ago. And I started recovery," she explained.
In an Instagram post that honored her second sober-versary, she wrote, "Getting clean is the BEST thing I ever did, and I’ve done a lot of cool sh*t."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s free 24/7 hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer-editor who covers health, nutrition, and lifestyle topics for various publications including Prevention, Everyday Health, SELF, People, and more. She’s always open to conversations about fueling up with flavorful dishes, busting beauty standards, and finding new, gentle ways to care for our bodies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University with specializations in women, gender, and sexuality studies and public health, and is a born-and-raised midwesterner living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two spoiled kitties.
