Struggling in secret with a dangerous eating disorder, Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) could be triggered by the slightest insecurity. Unfortunately for her, she lives in Emmerdale… On the surface, you wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with Gabby. The young Dales entrepreneur has made healthy eating a lifestyle, avidly scrolling social media and promoting her ‘clean eating’ choices to an audience of adoring subscribers. She eats good, she works out, she feels good. What’s to worry about? Under the surface, Gabby’s diet is not about health, but control. The troubled Dales’ resident’s storyline is set to degenerate into a battle with orthorexia. While currently not an officially recognised eating disorder, it is an excessive concern for everything going into her body. Gabby is growing increasingly obsessed behind closed doors. (Picture: ITV) This has already affected her parenting, when she pretended her son Thomas Tate (Bertie Brotherton) from having a frozen lolly, and banned him from attending a friend’s birthday party because the food being served was too processed for her liking. Orthorexia Orthorexia was defined in 1997 by Dr Steven Bratman, MD. It is not currently recognised in a clinical setting as a separate eating disorder, so someone who visited the doctor with the symptoms would not be officially diagnosed with ‘orthorexia’, although the term may be brought up when discussing their illness. Orthorexia refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating ‘pure’ food. Food considered ‘pure’ or ‘impure’ can vary from person to person. This doesn’t mean that anyone who subscribes to a healthy eating plan or diet is suffering from orthorexia. As with other eating disorders, the eating behaviour involved – ‘healthy’ or ‘clean’ eating in this case – is used to cope with negative thoughts and feelings, or to feel in control. Someone using food in this way might feel extremely anxious or guilty if they eat food they feel is unhealthy. It can also cause physical problems, because someone’s beliefs about what is healthy may lead to them cutting out essential nutrients or whole food groups. All eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, and should be treated as quickly as possible to give the sufferer the best chance of fully recovering. Behavioural signs of orthorexia include: Cutting out particular foods and food groups from their diet in an attempt to make their diet more healthy. More and more foods may be cut out over time. Taking an existing theory about healthy eating and adapting it with additional beliefs of their own. Poor concentration. Judgment about the eating habits of others. Obsession with healthy or supposedly healthy diet. Increased focus on what they’re eating may interfere with other areas of the person’s life, such as their relationships or work Psychological signs of orthorexia include: Obsession with healthy or supposedly healthy diet. Increased focus on what they’re eating may interfere with other areas of the person’s life, such as their relationships or work. Feeling unable to put aside personal rules about what they can and can’t eat, even if they want to. Feelings of anxiety, guilt, or uncleanliness over eating food they regard as unhealthy. Emotional wellbeing is overly dependent on eating the ‘right’ food. Low mood or depression. Physical signs of orthorexia include: If someone with orthorexia is following a diet that cuts out important food groups or nutrients, this could lead to malnutrition, with signs such as: Weight loss. Feeling weaker. Tiredness. Taking a long time to recover from illness. Feeling cold. Low energy levels. Information sourced from: www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk The anxiety, guilt and depression Gabby is experiencing deep down can be traced to trauma we’ve seen in the show, such as her failed marriage to Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) and being rejected by Ross Barton (Michael Parr). Even her current relationship with Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) has ‘doomed romance’ written all over it. He’s a personal trainer who unknowingly enables her eating disorder by supporting her ‘positive choices’, unaware of just how much danger she’s in. It doesn’t help, of course, that Billy’s ex is Gabby’s bestie, housemate and sister in all but DNA, Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley). Dawn is clearly carrying a candle for her old flame, proven by her negative reaction to Gabby’s decision to come off birth control. She told Billy, hoping it would make him reconsider things with Gabby. Dawn and Billy gave into their old passion. (Picture: ITV) Billy seems to feel the same way about Dawn, given that kiss they shared. That bombshell of a secret is now Joe Tate’s (Ned Porteous) to explode, who made the curious decision of making Billy his best man when he ties the knot with Dawn. Billy already dealt a serious blow to Gabby’s insecurities by breaking up with her out of guilt in Thursday’s episode, shortly before seemingly being found lifeless in a pool of blood in mysterious circumstances. Gabby’s already suffered a collapse due to her dangerous eating choices. She’s close to the edge. All she needs is one little push and who know what she’ll do… … a little push say, like finding out that Billy kissed Dawn. Uh oh… (Picture: ITV) Which of course is exactly what is about to happen. Whatever happen next, it’s guaranteed that Gabby will not take it well. Are we about to see a shocking escalation in her eating disorder ordeal?