Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston has revealed he battled anorexia while filming the British TV classic.
Eccleston, who played the ninth doctor in 2005, revealed his trouble with body image in his new book I Love the Bones of You, the BBC reports.
He said he never felt comfortable talking about the condition due to fears it wasn't something working-class men from the north of England do.
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"Many times I've wanted to reveal that I'm a lifelong anorexic and dysmorphic," he wrote.
"I never have. I always thought of it as a filthy secret, because I'm northern because I'm male and because I'm working class."
He said he was "very ill" during the filming of Doctor Who and his mental health worsened once he left the show, especially after splitting from his wife in 2015.
Eccleston wrote he was concerned he would take his own life while working on the BBC drama The A Word and sought psychiatric help.
"I reached for my phone and looked up a psychiatric hospital, I rang ahead, grabbed my bag and ran," he wrote.
He was prescribed antidepressants and believes he will be on them for the rest of his life, although he would like to reduce the dose at some point.
UK charity Beat, which supports people with eating disorders, praised Eccleston for speaking out about his trouble.
"We hope that Christopher has received the support he needed and that his bravery will encourage others to seek help, as we know that the sooner someone gets help for an eating disorder, the better their chances of recovery."
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