'The Fashion Industry Needs To Change': Model Bridget Malcom Reveals Her Career Destroyed Her Mental & Physical Health
Former Victoria's Secret model Bridget Malcom is exposing the dark side of her profession.
In the past, the star revealed that she suffered from an eating disorder, but recently, she decided to share the horrifying details of her modeling journey, which started when she was just a teenager.
Before she even turned 18, she was traveling the world for jobs — but all wasn't what it seemed.
In reality, Malcolm had "been groomed by a much older man," was sexually assaulted and faced a "lot of pressure" by her agent who instructed her to do cocaine in order to lose weight quickly.
The Aussie star, now, 29, added that while she was struggling with her gender identity, she was also told to "just have lots of sex to lose weight," and soon enough, she developed PTSD, anorexia, orthorexia, anxiety and depression.
"I couldn't socialize without drinking," she recalled. "I was developing quite the reliance on Xanax and Ambien in order to get me through the night."
Malcom noted that things didn't get better after she turned 18, and when she was 26, she suffered "a nervous breakdown."
"I couldn't leave my house for a year without panic attacks and severe anxiety," she shared. "I also had a bout with suicidal ideations which was terrifying."
Fortunately, the blonde babe was able to work through her problems, and she's now "happy, balanced [and] strong. I feel the best I've ever felt," she said.
Malcom added that people sometimes question why she didn't say something sooner, but she explained that she "couldn't talk about my experiences before I reached this place because I would have intense PTSD flashbacks. I would have panic attacks and I wouldn't be OK. But I am OK now and that's why I'm speaking out."
"I'm in solid recovery and I'm strong enough for any backlash," she declared. "The only reason why I am doing this is because I'm a strong believer that the fashion industry needs to change."
"I'm one of the lucky models," she insisted. "I was able to make a long career out of the fashion industry, but my job should not include abuse."