A powerful, new television programme on eating disorders entitled Anorexia, My Family & Me will air tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player.
The compelling documentary is narrated by Angela Scanlon, who herself has overcome the challenges of an eating disorder. Produced by the team behind the sensitive and deeply moving Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost, this documentary delves into the lives of Irish families grappling with the profound effects of anorexia.
With cases of eating disorders in Ireland on the rise this urgent documentary contains unprecedented access to unfolding stories, presenting the raw and emotional experiences of families across the country. We meet 16-year-old Josh, 42-year-old dad of four Sean, 36-year-old Amanda and their families who offer a personal look at the realities of living with this most fatal of mental health conditions.
We meet a Wicklow based mum Jenny fighting tirelessly to secure treatment for her 16-year-old son, Josh, who is consistently losing weight as he battles the devastating grip of anorexia.
Speaking about his eating disorder Josh explains, It's just very dangerous. Everything in your body that makes it tick could start to drop. And if some of them drop too low, it's very big, fatal risks that can come with it. I'm feeling pretty scared and disappointed in myself because I feel like I was the one who let this happen.
During the course of the documentary viewers will see Josh hospitalized for 67 days before he is discharged to the family home. His mum Jenny says: No amount of almost begging at that stage to get Josh to eat was working and I couldn't get in there, you know, get into whatever was starting to build up around Josh. I couldn't get in. I never thought that anorexia would come into our home. I had no idea what was going to happen.
Josh describes his hospital stay, I needed to go into the hospital to try and just help with getting myself back into a healthier place. Physically, I probably wouldn't have lasted too much longer. In one day, I would probably have collapsed seven times. I would have massive gaps in my memory and I would have like, no ability to move. Sometimes, like, I believe that it's good to try and eat to get better, but there's still a part of me that's being dragged down like, no, it's not. And so I do still feel very conflicted and being pulled at both ends to try to eat or not.
Josh's mum Jenny articulates her worries for Josh and his two sisters: There's a definite feeling that you're headed to battle most days. None of this is sustainable. Like, we have no idea what this malnutrition has done to Josh's brain. I worry that the girls are so deeply affected by this, that it could result in one of them getting an eating disorder, both of them getting an eating disorder. Mental health services are so stretched that they just can't help every child. It's so difficult to get into the service because there's so many children who are trying to get in. Had Josh gotten into the service sooner, would we be here? I don't know.
Busting commonly held misconceptions around those who suffer from the condition we meet 42-year-old father of four Sean from Swords has battled anorexia for over a decade. His struggle with the disorder, including an addiction to running, nearly consumed him before he found the lifesaving help he desperately needed. We follow his tentative steps in his recovery journey.
Sean says, I don't remember when I could last wear my wedding ring on my wedding finger. Over the years, it became so loose that it would fall off. It's closure in a way that I'm going to wear this wedding ring. It's another big step for me in recovery. Even since I've started recovery and I know I do look better and I have put on weight, people still look at you and think, oh, he's great. Look, he's doing well, you're doing well, but they don't know what's going on inside your head.
Sean explains how he became addicted to running, I could have been out any night running and drop dead. I was just completely gone. Walking upstairs was tough. Very light headed all the time. Memory gone. In so much hunger pain. You run more. You want to be nothing. You want to just be as thin. It's because you just want to disappear. Because you don't believe that you are worthy.
We also follow 36-year-old Amanda and her mother Doreen. Suffering with the condition for over a decade, we are on Amanda's shoulder as she lives with the constant debilitating daily reality of anorexia. Her condition is so entrenched that she is often on the verge of hospitalisation, offering a stark reminder of the life-threatening nature of the disorder.
Amanda admits, Doctors have told me that I'm going to die if this continues.
In one scene viewers watch Amanda struggle to drink a food supplement. She says, Just my head, just like. Even though it's like small looks. Only small. you feel kind of guilty for having it? Because your head is telling you that you're already fat and you don't need it. You don't need extra calories and you don't. So yeah, just an argument in my head all time.
Amanda's mother Doreen worries about her collapsing in her bedroom I look at her sometimes I think she doesn't look well, but then I don't open my mouth to her. If I say anything she'll get annoyed. You know she'd (say), there's nothing wrong with me. What do you do from there? You know. Like it is sad. Don't get me wrong. I'd be brokenhearted over her. I just want her to get better. I don't want to get upset because I don't want to upset her. but that's just the way it is. Whatever happened to her I want it to go away and give who she was back to us.
Amanda recounts a hospi
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
A powerful, new television programme on eating disorders entitled Anorexia, My Family & Me will air tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player.
