Love Island’s Laura Crane reveals secret battle with bulimia in candid interview about her journey to become a surfer

, revealing she had a "negative view" of her body for years and it took her a long time to break out of the destructive cycle.

Laura said: "I had bulimia and an eating disorder since I was 16...

"Being a surfer and traveling the world and modeling put all these pressures on me as a girl growing up in that industry...

"I was 21 when I got better. I’m 23 now.

"[I feel] so much healthier! Mentally and physically. An eating disorder is a mental illness. It f**** you up in the head and it shows... It’s hard to let go, but once you do you get your life back.";

She blames her issues on starting fashion shoots at the age of 12 and becoming caught up in the world of Instagram.

Laura explained: "I’ve been doing photoshoots with Billabong since I was 12.

"I’ve always been in photos and seeing myself in a bikini. When I was 16 I developed my eating disorder.

"I think when Instagram and social media became huge, it was hard not to look at myself and compare it to how other girls were looking and what they were posting.

"That was a really hard time in my life. I had to work really hard on myself to get through that."

The telly star said she was initially approached to go on Love Island last year, but she didn't feel strong enough.

She eventually agreed to go in this series and knew that being judged on her looks would be a huge challenge.

Laura said: "I knew I was going to go into the show and there would be a lot of people judging and having their say about me. I wanted to go in and prove to myself that I could take it...

"Which I feel I did..."