For years, Becky Wilde didn’t think there was anything unusual about the way she treated her body while suffering from an eating disorder.
The former swimmer, now an Olympic medalist, said comments she made as a teenager about gaining weight, which led to changes in her performance, played a large role in triggering the condition.
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For years, Wilde hid his struggles from coaches, parents and friends before seeking help.
“It probably took me a few years to realize what I had done to myself,” Wilde told BBC Radio Somerset.
“[It] Not good, not healthy. It took me a long time to fully accept this, and it was probably six years before I really realized it, but still didn’t seek help.
“It’s just part of the habit I’ve developed – it’s been my norm for a long time.”
Wilde, from Taunton, Somerset, began swimming as a child and later represented Wales, qualifying through her Welsh mother.
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But the Olympics were always her ultimate dream, and after attending university in Bath, she took up rowing through a talent discovery scheme.
Wilde won a bronze medal in the women’s double skull at the Paris Olympics in 2024 alongside Matilda Hodgkins-Byrne, while she also won a gold medal in the quadruple sculls at the European Championships and a silver medal in the same event at last year’s World Championships.
But now 27, she describes swimming as “my whole life for a long time”.
“It’s a sport that you have to commit your whole life to from a very young age, I think from the age of 11, 12, I started training like an elite athlete. When you dedicate so much of your life to this sport, it’s hard not to get consumed by it,” she said.
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It wasn’t until she was a teenager that unhealthy habits began to emerge.
“The main trigger for me was being told I had gained weight and then chalking it up to me swimming slower, which wasn’t the cause – there are lots of reasons why you might not be performing at your best,” Wilde added.
“On top of that, in an age where social media has come to the fore, we’re faced with a lot of different ideals about what our bodies should look like – I think that plays a role as well.”
Wilde blames eating disorder for injuries sustained during rowing career [BBC]
This situation meant that Wilde’s physical and mental health began to suffer adversely.
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During her swimming career, she described herself as overtrained and often “very sick.”
“Part of it was I wasn’t giving myself enough energy,” she said.
Then while rowing, she began to injure herself repeatedly, especially to her ribs.
“My bone density became so weak from not eating enough,” she added.
Wilde made her Olympic debut in Paris in 2024, winning a bronze medal [Getty Images]
“Asking for help is the best thing you can do”
It would be six years before Wilde sought help in 2022, after back-to-back rib injuries during the season put her in a “really bad spot.”
“I just remember being overwhelmed by it all and always thinking, ‘Why me?’ and then it suddenly occurred to me — this is why,” Wilde said.
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“That’s when I finally felt like I just needed some help and I broke down to the coach and I think he totally understood why and what was going on. He said, ‘We need to do something about this and get you some help’.”
The past few years since Wilde’s Olympic debut have been “full of ups and downs.”
She credits therapy with playing an important role in her recovery and hopes to raise awareness for anyone going through a similar illness.
“I think about when I was 16, 17, 18 years old and how lonely I was and I really felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone and I felt embarrassed,” Wilde said.
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“I want people to know that asking for help is the best thing you can do.”
Wilde believes perceptions of women’s bodies are changing, particularly in sport, but more needs to be done, citing the positive influence of the likes of England’s Rugby World Cup winners Red Rose and weightlifter Emily Campbell.
She said: “All types of bodies are celebrated because they are strong, powerful and beautiful, which to me is huge and I wish I had role models like that growing up.”
Winning an Olympic medal also helped Wilde appreciate her body and see it in a new light.
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“Finally realizing how incredible my body is,” she added.
“I got an Olympic bronze medal because I got it right – that made a difference.”
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