When the desire to lose weight turns into an unhealthy obsession with food, it can also eat into the core of relationships, says the psychologist Naomi Shragai

The need to stay thin takes over every aspect of their lives. In extreme cases bulimia sufferers can spend up to £500 a month on food for bingeing, and can vomit up to three times a day, sometimes more. They become so single-minded about food and their body size that they don’t have room in their minds for anything else.

How then does the condition contribute to problems in relationships, and how might partners unknowingly contribute to the illness? Sufferers attempt to satisfy their needs and soothe their feelings through their obsessions surrounding food, which allows them to avoid the difficulties and complications of relationships.