“It’s important to seek professional help”

“I only weighed 35 kilos – I could’ve died.” Larissa Hodgson works in the International Customer Service at Swiss Post and became famous as the Bachelorette on Swiss TV. The 29-year-old doesn’t mince her words when she talks about her illness. What began as bulimia at the age of 16 developed into anorexia and depression.

Take the signs seriously

She had to give up her tennis career and her commercial apprenticeship because the illness was dictating her daily routine. She was able to overcome this period of withdrawal, isolation, and relapses only with the support of her mother and specialists. “It’s very important to seek professional help,” she says, based on her own experience. Her own determination also played an important role in her recovery. “Although I often thought I’d never make it.”

And how’s she doing today? “Mental illness stays with you for the rest of your life. It’s not like a broken leg that heals completely.” She has difficult days. But the Bernese native with Canadian roots has learnt to live with her past and takes the first signs seriously. “I still have issues with my body image, but I know I don’t want to go down that route again.” If you have a physical illness, you get a lot of sympathy, but if you have a mental illness, you are unfortunately often met with rejection. “I want to change that. That’s why I speak openly about my story.”