Maggie and her husband James have four daughters. While their oldest, Hattie, was still at primary school, she began severely restricting the amount she ate and exercising obsessively.
Eating disorders in young people can be life-threatening, although this wasn’t the case for Hattie. Her case was unusual because of the age at which her problems began – she was nine.
Maggie and James tell Anushka Asthana they want to share their experience because it reveals something about the pressures on girls, the impact on families and the services that can help.
Also today: Gwyn Topham on the MPs calling for a ban on using hands-free phone kits while driving after seeing evidence of how distracting they can be.
- Names and voices in this episode have been altered
Photograph: Ruth Jenkinson/Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley
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