Recovering anorexic from Box reaches out to help others

Two years ago the 18-year-old was starving herself, surviving on minus calories and weighed just six stone. Now, she wants to share her experiences and tips on eating healthily through a series of recipes from vegetable risotto to apple pie and smoothies.

She is less than £300 away from the £1,700 needed to pay for the project through her crowdfunding website by June 6 and has already met with a self-publishing company in Bath which is interested in her idea.

Miss Davis, of Box, said: “When I started my recovery I thought it would be something to focus my thoughts on, it’s about helping myself as well as helping others.

“You go to a book shop and there isn’t really anything, it’s all about diets and not really healthy things or getting better, so it was a massive gap in the market and I just want to help people.”

The former Corsham School and Sheldon School pupil first became ill in December 2013 and attributes it to not enjoying being in education and taking part in competitive gymnastics.

She said: “My mum had anorexia when she was younger so she spotted it instantly. I did get help but really hated it, I didn’t believe I had anorexia so I thought they were all just lying but looking back they were all really helpful.”

Miss Davis also turned her hand to art during her recovery and runs her own business Nicola Davis Crafts full-time creating pieces using silk and bright colours inspired by positivity.

She added: “I would like to be an inspiration, but it’s hard to think of myself that way because I do still struggle every now and then, but it would be nice to inspire others.

“I still battle with depression but a lot of it is looking at my past, which was really bad, but I also look back and think how far I’ve come and I draw the positivity from that."

Miss Davis plans to donate ten per cent of the book’s profits to eating disorder charity Beat. To donate to the project go to: crowdfunder.co.uk/nicoladaviscrafts