Lily Collins opens up about suffering from anorexia as a teenager

Lily Collins has opened up about her experience of suffering with an eating disorder as a teenager.

The 28-year-old actress who portrays an anorexia sufferer in To The Bone said she took on the role in a bid to break the taboos around the illness.

In an interview on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday (25 May) she explained: "It's quite taboo even today to talk about it even though it's becoming more prevalent. To do it in a film to make it entertaining but make it very informational is important. I've been very vocal about my experiences so it was important to me."

In the film Lily plays 20-year-old Ellen, an artist who goes through treatment from an unconventional doctor (Keanu Reeves).

She reveals that she personally met with people suffering from the eating disorder and her health was closely monitored as she lost weight for the role.

"I was kept under strict supervision by the producers, director my own mother and a nutritionist," she said. "I'm older now and I have a different perspective about it. I was excited to tell the story and open up further conversation.

"My director Marti Noxon is the writer as well, we went to eating disorder groups, met with doctors, we did a lot of research in that way. There is a weird dark sense of humour that I think people will understand, you need a little lightness in a time of darkness."

In her 2015 memoirs titled Unfiltered, the star who is the daughter of singer Phil Collins, revealed that at the height of her disorder she gorged on 'every type of junk food possible', and was terrified that she 'had ruined her chances of having kids'.

The first feature film to address the condition To The Bone premieres on July 14.