Millie’s story: how her dad supported her through recovery and fundraising for Beat

When Millie became unwell with anorexia, her dad was her biggest support. Through every setback and challenge, he was always there. Now recovered, Millie was able to raise over £5,000 for Beat by completing a 500-mile cycle from Bristol to Bordeaux alongside her dad and godfather – something she says felt like a “full circle” moment.

Millie’s eating disorder symptoms started during lockdown, when she was going into her final year of secondary school. “I just really started to struggle with my body image. It became a control mechanism really, and I started restricting my food a lot. It got to the point where I ended up being rushed to hospital.”

Millie remembers her dad sleeping in a hospital chair next to her bed. “I was terrified. He was the one putting on a brave face, keeping me calm.” She was so grateful for the support both her parents were giving her, but she didn’t realise how much her illness changed their lives too.

“I had no idea the impact it had on my parents’ relationship, their stress levels.” Looking back, Millie realises they were just as scared as she was. “They both educated themselves so much on it. They read books, they read articles, my mum reached out to Beat.”

Her dad made a lot of effort to be a safe space for Millie to talk about how she was feeling. “He took time to understand what was scaring me and what I was afraid of. He didn’t push me in ways that were going to upset me. I think that just kept the conversation open, honest and very supportive rather than blaming, being secretive or creating a taboo topic.”

After three years, Millie was well enough to start university – and to take part in her fundraiser. She describes it as “the perfect opportunity to give back to something that saved me and really helped my parents, who used Beat a lot for support and advice. It’s been really special to be able to do this with my dad because he didn’t leave my side throughout the whole of it.”

She was particularly grateful for the opportunity to create new, happy memories with her dad while training for the cycle. “Spending five hours on a bike in the beautiful countryside, it felt like it was making up for the time my eating disorder took away from us.” Often, she told him how privileged she felt to spend her weekends with him.

Millie’s story shows the impact an eating disorder can have on family, and the impact having a strong community can have on recovery. Now, she’s studying law and feeling optimistic about the future. She says taking part in the fundraiser helped her find closure on her eating disorder: “The ride was a nice way to end that chapter of my life, but also do something very meaningful.”