Pocock reveals eating disorder

WALLABIES FLANKER David Pocock suffered from an eating disorder, he has revealed in his new autobiography.

In his book, Openside: My Journey to the Rugby World Cup, the 23-year-old says the problem developed following his family’s escape from Zimbabwe to the safety of Australia almost 10 years ago.

“When our family first moved from Zimbabwe in 2002 I developed a stress-related eating disorder,” he reveals.

He says he was “irrationally strict” about what he ate and had a “very skewed” idea of his body image.

He also admitted to crying as a child when there weren’t any healthy options on restaurant menus.

“Looking back at photos I was ridiculously lean but in my head I was still not lean enough. I remember bursting into tears a few times when the family went out to dinner or when travelling and there weren't any healthy or ultra low-fat options to eat. I was unsure about how to deal with my obvious anxiety towards food,” he says.

“This was possibly a response to the fear I experienced living in Zimbabwe for those last few years on the farm when I felt so powerless, and when we moved to Australia I used it as a way to give myself a sense of control and certainty. I've worked on this a lot with the psychologist.”