Newcastle food tour guide releases debut autobiographical novel about living with an eating disorder

A Newcastle food tour guide has fictionalised her experience with anorexia in her debut novel Me, Myself and Ed.

Alison Beveridge was diagnosed with the disorder in 2014 while at drama school in London. The 32-year-old hopes to help others and change misconceptions about eating disorders through the book.

She said: “I think I was quite a prime, I don’t like to use the word but, victim for an eating disorder to prey on because I was very driven, perfectionist and really into my health and my fitness and my nutrition. It just tipped too far.

“And because of those qualities it’s very hard to go the other way and convince yourself you need to be eating more, exercising less because in culture and society we’re told these are good things. But it’s when these things are taken too far and it becomes a mental and emotional barrier.”

Me, Myself and Ed is about a school teacher called Scarlett and largely mirrors her own experiences with anorexia. The protagonist is diagnosed the same way she was and navigates the same dual life with Ed- the personified eating disorder.

“It’s about working, socialising, being a sister, being a daughter and going on dates,” Alison laughs, “Newcastle gets a few mentions with the dates I’ve been on.

“I hope it gives a bit of insight into the thought processes and where they come from and I hope it can change some misconceptions about eating disorders. No one had any idea so it just shows you don’t know what’s going on in somebody else’s life from the outside,” Alison concludes.

Me, Myself and Ed is now available to purchase on Amazon, Kindle and at selected bookstores.

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