Megan McKenna, 29, says trolls have said “really nasty things” about her weight since she began her career in reality television. Megan has been in the public eye since 2015 when she appeared on MTV’s Ex On The Beach. Since then, she has starred in numerous other shows including Celebrity Big Brother, The Only Way Is Essex and X Factor: Celebrity.
Behind her TV persona, Megan has struggled with coeliac disease and a wheat allergy since she was a child.
This means that she cannot eat wheat or gluten or she could suffer a range of excruciating symptoms including stomach pain, diarrhoea and unexpected weight loss.
As a result of being one of the most famous reality stars in the country, Megan says the downside is that she is frequently faced with trolling on social media.
She told Express.co.uk: “They call me anorexic, skeletal and gaunt. There is a list of things… just really nasty things about my weight.
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“I have openly spoken about the fact that I have bowel issues, so people should really lay off because they don’t know, I might be having a bad episode or a flare up and suffering a bit.
“If I ever eat something that has wheat or gluten in it by accident, it can really affect me for weeks which affects my bowels and I lose weight.”
Megan says that the trolling “used to bother her” when she was younger, but now she has got to a point where she can “completely brush it off”.
After years of being unwell, doctors eventually diagnosed Megan with coeliac disease when she was 10 years old.
Megan has now decided to help others by releasing a gluten-free cookbook, Can You Make That Gluten-Free?
It features 80 recipes with everything from “starters to cakes, posh dinners and cheaper meals”.
Discussing the book, Megan explained: “I think people get so scared when you say ‘gluten-free’.
“They think they have to eat something really plain and boring, but you can make everything gluten-free.”
Megan also proved her culinary skills when she took part in Celebrity MasterChef last year.
She amazed judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode with her gluten-free dishes and made it all the way to the final.
Megan stated: “One of the main reasons why I wanted to do that show was to prove to people that you can eat good food that is gluten-free.
“John and Gregg used to say that they would never be able to tell that it was gluten-free, and that was my aim, so I was so happy.”
Can You Make That Gluten-Free? By Megan McKenna is published by Hamlyn, £20.00, www.octopusbooks.co.uk
