‘American Idol’ Emmy Russell Opens Up About Her Eating Disorder
American Idol contestant Emmy Russell opened up about her battles with an eating disorder during a recent interview. She sang an original song during her audition and she’s landed a spot in the Top 24 on Idol. Now she’s opening up about the experiences that inspired the touching song “Skinny” that got her here. Continue reading to see what she revealed.
Emmy Russell Relapsed With Her Eating Disorder
The American Idol contestant spoke to People about her struggle with an eating disorder, which inspired the song that got her a Golden Ticket. Emmy Russell said that her eating disorder initially took hold while she was in high school. However, the illness reared its head once again while she was traveling abroad.
According to Emmy, she was in Brazil doing mission work when she realized something was seriously wrong with her health.
“All of a sudden I started getting a little bit sick and I was like, ‘Why am I not keeping any of my food down?’ And I think a part of it was the eating disorder in high school, but then the damage that happens to your body and it just happened again,” she told the publication. “Then I started seeing results from me getting sick, and then it just spun out of control.”
At the time, Emmy said that she felt a lot of shame about her eating disorder. “I was like, ‘I’m serving God. I’m in Brazil. Why is this coming back?'” she said.
Eventually, she realized that she needed to return home to Nashville and get help. Her mom assisted her in getting into recovery.
American Idol Gives Her A Platform To Tell Her Story
The American Idol hopeful then spoke about how growing up in the spotlight made her more self-conscious. Because she comes from country music royalty, Emmy Russell was on stage at a young age. Her family was always in the public eye.
Once she learned that millions of people struggle with eating disorders just like she did, Emmy knew she wanted to sing about it. “When I saw 80 or 70 million people struggle with eating, I was like, ‘What? I’m not the only one. I need to sing about it.'” she said.
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Then, she said, she showed up to Idol without any makeup on, her natural hair color, and sat down at the piano. She thought to herself, “Oh, Emmy works. My true self is OK. People relate to that.” American Idol pushed her to share her story, knowing that other people might hear it and heal with her.
Emmy Russell shocked American Idol judges when she revealed that she was the granddaughter of country music singer Loretta Lynn. Watch her audition video below.
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