Eating
Disorders
Learning About Real Me
Abandoned as a baby, Anne Beattie has spent her whole life battling eating
disorders and depression.
(continues from page 1)
Five years ago Anne was finally diagnosed as being
clinically depressed. She had six months of therapy and was put on
medication. Soon after, her marriage broke down and she left Scotland for the
North East.
"Catherine was badly bullied at her school in Dundee and wanted a fresh
start. I've educated her at home for the past three years. Now she's a happy,
confident child and is due to start A-levels at Newcastle College in September.
"That means I'm out of a job! I'm looking forward to getting back into work.
I used to do a lot of caring so I'm aiming to go back to that.
"We're both very happy in the North East. I've got a new partner, George, who
lives in Sunderland. We've been together for about a year. And Catherine is very
involved in the local drama group and has a good set of friends from there.
"We're extremely close and are very open with each other. She knows all about
my past because I'd hate for her to grow up and think my depression was her
fault."
Anne admits, however, that she still finds if difficult to form close
relationships with friends.
"There's always part of me that holds something back," she says. "Maybe I'm
scared because the people I should have been close to didn't stay around. I have
a limit to how close I get to friends."
Anne recently completed a book telling her life story, From Grey Soup To
Gateau.
Relations with her mother and sisters back in Yorkshire have been strained
for years, but she is hoping the book will help bring the family back together.
"My mum was very upset when she read the first chapter, but if she reads the
whole book, she'll see that I'm not bitter about the past. I'd love to sit down
with my mum and talk everything through. I don't know anything like the full
story and Catherine has never really had a relationship with my mother which is
sad, a real shame.
"But my youngest sister emailed me last night saying she didn't realise what
a talented sister she had. That was lovely because we've never had a
particularly good relationship and haven't really spoken for years."
Anne found writing everything down was fantastic therapy.
"The book has been a chance to put everything in one place. It's something
I've wanted to do for a while and I've tried to write it before, but it never
felt quite right.
"One day it suddenly came to me and everything just spilled out on to the
page. It only took me six weeks.
"I still have bad days and I think I always will. But life's good. I've got
two more novels on the go and I'm more positive about the future than ever."
Too cheerful for Britain
Anne faced a battle to get her book From Grey Soup To Gateau in print after
British publishers branded it "too optimistic".
After completing her story she sent it off to various firms.
She said: "One publisher held on to the book for seven months and I was
hoping they'd go for it.
"But in the end they said it was too optimistic! I couldn't believe it.
"I had wanted to show that you can get through all this and come out the
other end enjoying life.
"That's when I started approaching American publishers. They are a lot more
open about feelings in the States. PublishAmerica accepted it straight away.
"It was brilliant seeing the finished book. I'm just so proud that I've
achieved this."
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