Katrina Gorry: West Ham captain on overcoming eating disorder
During this time, Gorey “needed someone to sit there and listen,” but found people were reluctant to discuss body image and eating disorders, which she believes comes down to a fear of not knowing how to respond.
Opening up about her experience has helped Gorey break down some barriers with athletes and their families and friends, and she believes she now has the tools to start a conversation with other athletes and offer support before they enter the same spiral. encounter.
“It’s been really hard,” she said. “(People) could see I was going through something, but no one wanted to ask the question, and I think maybe (that’s) because no one knew how to respond.
“If someone says, ‘No, I’m actually not doing a good job, this is what I’m going through’ – how do I respond?
“I’m grateful for what I’ve been through because I can share my experiences with younger players and those around me to make sure they don’t go through something similar.
“Now that I’ve been through that experience and I can see players going through it, it’s been a great tool for me because I’ve been able to open up those conversations before I see things spiraling into a bad place. “
England and Brighton midfielder Fran Kirby has previously raised questions about the matter “stigma”,, external Issues surrounding nutrition in women’s football and the pressure on players to cope with abuse of her body type.
“It’s a really important thing – body image and the way we respect our bodies,” Gorey added.
“As a football player you think you can overcome anything but we don’t really talk about it too much.
“(But) we’re still going to go through things off the field and we need a space where we can talk to each other, help each other, (and) be better football players at the end of the game.”
