An MSP has fought back tears as he pleaded for extra help for sufferers of the disease that killed his daughter.
Dennis Robertson told how 18-year-old Caroline died in hospital after a five-year battle with anorexia.
The SNP politician said: ”The only way she could beat it was to die.”
This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week and also the first anniversary of Caroline’s death.
And on Wednesday Mr Robertson used a debate at Holyrood to demand more help for families dealing with the condition.
The Aberdeenshire West MSP, a familiar figure at Holyrood with his guide dog Mr Q, spoke movingly of Caroline’s illness and the impact it had on her twin sister, Fiona, and mother Anne.
”We noticed a problem initially when she hit puberty and started to notice her body as all girls do,” he said.
”She started eating healthily which is no bad thing but it became obsessive.
”Then she was exercising beyond anything normal, so all of that gave us early warning signs.”
He added: ”We went to the doctor and the GP was fantastic, well switched-on, and she got referred to a specialist.
”She had several attempts to beat it.”‘This is not just a fad’Mr Robertson said: Caroline spent time in residential clinics but in the end could not get the better of the illness.
”She sat on that very, very fine line but, all of a sudden, she just went into a decline.
”Part of it was that she was finding it difficult to eat, she was being sick and she had stomach pains but, after a couple of days she wasn’t even retaining fluids.
”We got her into hospital and the consultant told us that she had a 40% chance. To be told that was pretty bad. Devastating.”
Caroline’s death came just a few weeks before Dennis launched his campaign to become an MSP, but he went ahead with the election after making a promise to his daughter.
He said: ”She made me promise and she made Anne promise as well to make sure that I was doing it.
”It was a question of keeping a promise but not once during the election campaign did I ever mention the fact of her death.”
When he was elected to parliament he dedicated the win to Caroline, and on Thursday he used his position to speak up for anorexia victims.
”It’s about getting GPs and other professionals to realise that this is not just a fad that girls go through,” he said.
”We need support services for families. We need to take this seriously.”
At least 1.1 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, with people aged 14-25 most at risk.
Photo by Ken Jack/PA