Chantelle Houghton's weight struggles have dominated her life - from a well-documented fight against bulimia, to learning how years of crash dieting had threatened her fertility.
Now pals say that the former Celebrity Big Brother star's self-esteem is gradually being eroded as she battles to control her body demons, and has recently turned to therapy as a last resort.
Chantelle, 32 - who has daughter Dolly, four, with ex-fiance Alex Reid, and last week admitted she’s spent £16,000 on her ‘addiction’ to lip fillers - has revealed that being a single mum and spending so many nights at home alone have caused her to gain weight.
A source says: “Chantelle is a very normal mum – she doesn’t have nannies, personal trainers or a chef who can prepare her meals. She’s tried every diet going, but fad diets have only caused her to put on more weight.
“But she’s so low she's started thinking about other ways to get her body back and is considering having lipo on her stomach. She knows it’s a drastic option and friends have warned her it isn’t the answer.”
For the full story, read this week’s Closer magazine.