LEGO Masters star Maddy opens up about her challenging past
For some, appearing on the hit new show LEGO Masters might be enough of a childhood dream come true, but not for Maddy.
Maddy appears on the show with her husband Jimmy, but for the Melbourne-based children’s entertainer, she wanted to do more.
Maddy has written a book for kids, which she hopes will teach young people, their families and schools the signs of an eating disorder.
She told 9Honey Celebrity:
"It's called When Ana Came to Stay and it's a kid's insight into eating disorders and the challenging things that come with that," she explained.
"It's based on personal experience and I'm hoping that this book can reach out and help even just one kid."
Maddy was only nine years old when she started to develop her own eating disorder.
"I was really young," she says. "I wasn't hospitalised until I was a teenager so throughout those early years, I started developing really toxic behaviours and habits around food and they were really subtle changes.
"I've gone through my fair share of therapy and counselling wondering 'what started it, what caused it?' and I think it's a combination of being a really sensitive kid growing up and a perfectionist as well.
"I was always wanting to be the best in school, in sports, in all of these things and sort of push myself and then paired with low self-esteem and having role models that I wanted to look like -- that's how it started."
However, it wasn’t until Maddy was a teenager that she realised that she had an eating disorder.
"It's such a challenging disease because it does sneak up and it takes time to develop and the next day you're in hospital -- or even worse," she says.
She’s written a book to help young boys and girls who risk going through the same things she went through.
"This book is for me wanting to get the message out to young kids, families and schools that if there are young people struggling that we can nip things in the bud before they become bad," she says.
If you’re worried about yourself or someone you care about, call The Butterfly Foundation on 1800 334 673.