Strictly's Vito Coppola reveals crippling bulimia battle that caused him to collapse on stage
Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola's crippling battle with bulimia was triggered after he was bullied over his body by judges and fellow professionals in the "toxic" and competitive world of dance, and felt pressure to have a "perfect body structure".
Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola faced a crippling battle with bulimia which caused him to collapse on stage.
The 33-year-old star's "serious and potentially life-threatening" eating disorder was triggered after he was bullied over his body by judges and fellow professionals in the "toxic" and competitive world of dance, and felt pressure to have a "perfect body structure".
Vito told The Sun newspaper: "I want to be open about that dark period in my life and what I’ve been through.
"Once it becomes an ingrained habit, bulimia - that act of bingeing on food and purging it - is so serious and potentially life-threatening.
"In the competition world there is always someone better, stronger, faster, slimmer or quicker than you, so you push yourself.
"I felt the judging panels idealised the perfect body structure. I felt different because I was taller than most, but I had wider shoulders and judges told me my bum was too big and rounded and my legs were too chunky. It can be toxic.
"I wanted the pleasure of food so I would be eating and then being sick, but in the end that really doesn’t work.
"I did it for a few months but felt very ashamed. It was a betrayal of my values - I was wasting food.
"I felt not clean, and I didn’t have much love for myself."
The entertainer's family struggled to understand his worrying behaviour.
But Vito's mum realised something was wrong when the food parcels she sent him were going uneaten.
He said: "I felt guilty because my family were so worried about me, but they didn’t know what was really going on. They didn’t know I had a problem.
"But my mum has a sixth sense. She’s my best friend - she goes dancing and does everything with me - so she understood.
"She was sending me food parcels but then would visit and find them still there, uneaten."
The performer added: "Dancing is high energy so you need lots of food to keep going.
"There was pressure dancing in a world where whatever you do it’s never enough. It’s very competitive.
"My background is healthy, and in my world we know the value of food, but I started to feel judged.
"Dancing is not an objective sport, it is very subjective. I’d say it’s not really a sport at all - it is an art form where who wins or loses is based on the judges’ personal taste.
"I used to cry a lot if another guy was taller and would shove me or push me over - I was always taught not to do that.
"I had sacrificed so much to get to that point, and now it was disappearing through my fingers, like water."
Vito's crisis peaked when he collapsed during a fast-paced jive while competing at the World Championships in Toronto, Canada, in his early 20s.
He recalled: "I fainted during the jive because I had no energy.
"You push yourself, but being strong means stepping away from a situation that is toxic and is damaging you.
"I’ve never gone back [to dangerous eating disorders]."
Vito has now got his health back on track and prioritises regular eating and rest.
He said: "I am very empathetic and want to share my experience. In order to receive, you have to give.
"Dancing is an intense activity, but anyone who has danced with me knows that now I am all about regular eating and napping.
"It scares me to think I was on a path to developing a full-blown, long-term eating disorder."
