Erin O'Connor was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as a result of the criticism she faced over her skinny figure.
Erin O'Connor
The 43-year-old supermodel has revealed the devastating impact people's "daily opinions" of her size had on her mental health at the height of her modelling career in the '90s.
Erin is quoted by the Sebastian Shakespeare for the Daily Mail newspaper column as saying: "I ended up in a very politicised spot for quite some time regarding the modelling industry and models’ health.
"After years of being subjected to daily opinions on my body, it was quite traumatic.
"I definitely suffered. I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress after holding a very public, politicised space. I did a lot of crying and soul‑searching because I was publicly used as a means of getting news and shocking headlines."
Erin previously spoke about feeling "betrayed" by her body.
She shared: “It was when I outgrew my dad – at the age of 15 – that it became testing for me.
I don’t think I was different to anyone else as a teenager, in that I thought it was important to fit in.”
The mother-of-two - who has four-year-old Bertie and Eddie, two, with partner Stephen Gibson - also spoke about the importance of self-acceptance.
She added: “This debate is to do with self-esteem.
“The idea of not feeling accepted is something scary. It really doesn’t matter what age, size or shape you are.”