Jeremy Clarkson’s daughter Emily opens up about body confidence and cyber bullying
"I was so unhappy that after eating I would cry to the point where I was sick"
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jeremy Clarkson’s daughter has spoken out about her struggles with body confidence and the downside of growing up with a famous father.
The daughter of one of UK television’s biggest names, Emily, 23, has revealed that she developed low self-esteem and a string of body hang ups when she was growing up.
Some of which she puts down to inheriting her father’s ‘enormous’ frame.
In her book, Can I Speak to Someone in Charge?, Clarkson speaks candidly about her struggle with weight that she recalls beginning at school.
In an extract, published by Daily Mail, she says that she would compare her body to her classmates who had not started puberty and that her struggle went on “for years to the point I can’t remember when it stopped.”
“I used to squeeze my eyes shut, cross my fingers and wish that when I woke up in the morning I would be thin. I did this every single night,” she writes.
“Every day I would look at my reflection and grimace. Sometimes I would look at it and cry. I would grab fat rolls on my stomach and squeeze them together so tightly there were finger marks.
“There were times when I was so unhappy that after eating I would cry to the point where I was sick.”
Now a size 10, Emily adds that she knows she “will never be thin” and has come to accept her body the way it is.
In a chapter titled ‘Dear Online Trolls,’ she also addresses the online abuse she received as a result of having a famous father, much of which started when she was just 17-years-old.
The author recalls how being called a “bloated mess,” and “lump of lard,” made her want to lock herself “in a room and cry until you can’t any more.”
In spite of her issues, Clarkson insists on sending a strong and positive message to those who are being bullied or struggling with body confidence.
“To anyone currently being bullied at school and feeling that it will never end because the perpetrators will always be more powerful and more successful and more good-looking than you, you need to remember that people like this never grow up to be the people that you, or they, thought they would. Trust me.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments