Married at first sight star Ben Jardine on why he’s starring in a new film about eating disorders

Married At First Sight star Ben Jardine has revealed why he wanted to take part in a new film about living with an eating disorder.

The ex Celebrity Big Brother star turned-pro boxer is one of a number of celebrities coming together to appear in a new short film called A Day With An Eating Disorder to highlight the plight of sufferers and their carers.

Explaining why he agreed to take a part in the film, Ben, 37, said: “The reason I am so interested in working on this project is I have two young children and I am fully aware of the world that they are being brought up in. This is why I want to bring awareness to this.

“My own journey with this issue is that as a professional boxer, I have to always get down to crazy fight weights which take a lot of time, energy, and lots of dieting and hard work. But this is only a moment in time for me.

“People who live with an eating disorder have extraordinary fortitude. I have my own experiences and made bad choices when dieting for fights.”

Explaining why this is such an important issue he continued: “Extreme weight loss is so dangerous in professional contact sports, like MMA, Thai boxing, and boxing which I have competed in.

“There have been so many upsetting stories, even in the Olympics. I’ve personally witnessed unhealthy weight-cutting methods which start with young fighters in the amateur ranks, where as a youthful boxer you get in the habit of routinely binging and purging.

“This is a habit that can quickly become a full-blown eating disorder and this carries over into fighters’ pro careers. MMA fighters have died from aggressive weight-cutting.”

Outlining how he’d like to see things change he continued: “I would like to see things change in a way that society isn’t so hard on diets, and more regulations put in place online and for corporations trying to cash in on promoting fast or instant wins, this becomes a vicious circle for vulnerable people like myself, it is so unhealthy.

“Inevitably, it makes all of us more susceptible. I would like society to recognise that helping people stick to eating at regular mealtimes is more important than anything, as well as educating more children in schools and giving children and others a space to talk about how they are feeling.

“Why are they feeling they do not want to eat? It’s different for us all. My advice and my belief is that incredible things happen through awareness.

Speaking about why he was keen to play a part in the upcoming film he added: “I want to promote awareness and advise people living with this issue to not be afraid, to seek the support from families, friends and charities.

“I want to encourage people to measure themselves in strength, not pounds, and sometimes in smiles.”