• Consuming diet and false nutrition content online is part of what led Rachel Evans to develop an eating disorder.
• She became an advocate of "clean eating," a trend she now criticizes for being restrictive.
• Now an ED psychologist, she advises clients to view online health content through a critical lens.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rachel Evans, 34, a chartered psychologist who lives in the UK. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

There's often no single reason why a person develops an eating disorder, but viewing misleading nutrition information on social media contributed to mine.

Through my recovery and training to become an eating disorder recovery psychologist, I learned ways to navigate the treacherous online health space and free myself from restrictive eating.

Growing up in the 90s, I read about celebrity diets and workouts in magazines and thought I should copy what they were doing.

It got worse when social media became a part of my life. In 2012, when I was studying psychology at university, Instagram was becoming popular, and the "clean eating" trend was everywhere.

Some clean-eating influencers would promote certain types of food as "good" and "bad," and make extreme claims like saying you should eat foods in a certain order.

Some of the messages had a kernel of truth to them, and the more I started to believe those, the more I started to believe the farfetched ones, too. The more I became obsessed with being healthy, the less critical I got.

I started to develop some health problems. My digestion was messed up, my hair was falling out, and I stopped having periods.

A number of other factors also contributed to my developing an eating disorder. By 2013, I was finishing my master's in health psychology, and I didn't know what I was going to do next. I based a lot of my self-worth on how well I did in my studies, and I was about to lose that stream of validation, so eating perfectly became a hobby I could get really good at.

I became a 'clean-eating' blogger

In 2014, I was living abroad in Singapore and working as a research assistant. At the time, I was maintaining a restrictive diet I had found on YouTube. My preoccupation with food was interfering with my life.

I went into therapy, which helped a bit as I managed to introduce more foods into my diet.

The "clean eating" trend was going strong at the time, and I started posting photos of what I ate on Instagram and created a blog. I amassed thousands of readers, had partnerships with popular brands, and I promoted protein powders and nut butters.

At the time, I thought I had recovered because I was better than I was at my worst, but looking back, I had once again set myself strict rules to follow. Behind the scenes, I was struggling with cycles of binge eating and purging.

Once I decided I wanted to help other people, I knew I had to help myself first

In 2017, with the help of a coach, I decided that I wanted to become an eating disorder recovery psychologist. That was ultimately helpful to my recovery. Once I decided I wanted to help other people, I knew I had to help myself first.

I already had a strong foundation in this area, as I have a Ph.D. in the psychology of eating, habits, self-control, and behavior change from the University of Sheffield, UK. On top of that, I studied to become a master practitioner in eating disorders at the National Centre for Eating Disorders in 2018.

As I learned how to treat people with eating disorders, my relationship with food slowly got more flexible. I deleted the blog in 2020 because it no longer aligned with my views. Now, I post educational content on my Instagram with a more nuanced perspective.

When I was recovering, I spent less time on Instagram and unfollowed accounts that promoted the lifestyle I was trying to move away from.

Food no longer takes up much of my headspace. I try to cook from scratch when I can and eat enough fruits and vegetables every day, but I don't stress if it doesn't happen.

When I speak to my clients about navigating nutrition and diet content online, I tell them just because someone online presents something as a fact, that doesn't mean it's true, or true for you. They don't know you and your body better than you.

I remind my clients to take "what I eat in a day" videos with skepticism and that even if they eat and exercise like someone else, they still might not look like them because their genetics are different.

I also tell my clients to try to scroll less "mindlessly" and make sure they're thinking critically about what they see online.

Osaka came from a set down to beat Muchova, having lost the Czech in last year’s US Open

Alcaraz breezed past Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 6-4 to reach the third round

Djokovic moved out of a tie with Federer to claim another record by taking to the court for his 430th grand slam match

Compromises in the transfer market and unrealistic ambition has left Mikel Arteta and Ange Postecoglou in similar positions despite being on different sides of the north London divide

The days of ‘you’ll never beat Kyle Walker’ chants have passed and City’s long-serving right-back is now on the brink of leaving the club as a symbol of all that has gone wrong

The Newcastle striker and Sweden international initially struggled at Borussia Dortmund after leaving hometown club AIK before growing into one of the best goalscorers in the Premier League

Justin Verlander found himself in the hot seat after using his wife Kate Upton’s Zoom account for a recent press conference.

During a virtual press event on Monday, January 13, an NBC Sports reporter named Taylor Wirth had a hot mic moment that involved Verlander, 41 — but the MLB player didn’t mind.

As San Francisco Giants president of operations Buster Posey was speaking to the reporters, Wirth accidentally interrupted saying, “Look at Justin’s name!”

Wirth didn’t appear to know he was unmuted when he pointed out that Verlander’s Zoom moniker was his wife’s name.

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After the Giants’ vice president of media relationship Matt Chisholm reminded the reporters to stay muted unless they are asking a question, Verlander poked fun at his own mishap.

“I’ll change it, alright? I’ll change it,” Verlander quipped, referring to his Zoom name.

The pitcher made good on his promise, changing his moniker to “JUSTIN VERLANDER (not Kate)” for the remainder of the press conference.

Wirth, meanwhile, poked fun at his hot mic blunder by reposting a clip from the Zoom via X. He then shared a meme of a college guy pointing at himself while holding a beer, confirming he was the one who called out Verlander.

Verlander met Upton, 32, in 2012 while shooting a commercial for the Major League Baseball 2K12 video game. They went public with their romance in January 2013. After briefly splitting later that year, they reunited in January 2014.

After the former Houston Astros pitcher won the 2017 World Series with his team, he and Upton jetted off to Italy to get married.

The pair celebrated their one-year anniversary in November 2018 days before welcoming their daughter, Genevieve. The following year, Verlander reflected on the past decade and all of his life changes.

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“It’s been such an incredible decade! Meeting my best friend, getting married and starting a family has been the most amazing gift ever!!! Nothing tops that,” he wrote via Instagram in December 2019. “On the field … winning a championship, throwing a couple no hitters and winning a few awards along the way has been an incredible journey. The friendships that have grown or began this past decade will continue on for decades to come. Truly blessed . Now bring on the next decade!!”

Since entering the 2020s, Verlander’s baseball trajectory has changed more than once. In December 2022 he said goodbye to the Astros after six years with the ball club. That same month he confirmed he was joining the New York Mets for the 2023 season, but by August of that year he was back with the Astros.

Earlier this month, Verlander entered another new phase of his MLB career as a pitcher for the Giants. He signed a one-year contract with the team on January 11 for $15 million.

Jessica Alba was out and about for the first time since news broke of her split from husband Cash Warren.

The actress, 43, was spotted in Los Angeles, according to photos obtained by Page Six on Tuesday, January 14. In the snaps, Alba was seen at the grocery store Erewhon grabbing a bite to eat.

Alba was all smiles as she walked in the parking lot. She rocked a cozy oversized brown sweater that she paired with a light blue jacket, baggy blue jeans and white sneakers. Alba opted to run errands with her hair down while wearing sunglasses on the bright California day. She completed the look with gold hoop earrings and a tan Chanel crossbody purse.

Alba did not appear to be wearing a wedding ring on her ring finger.

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The outlet also reported that Alba later spent the day with her son Hayes, 7, and one of his friends. The trio enjoyed a picnic at a park in Hollywood.

This is the first time Alba has been seen in public since TMZ first reported that she and Warren, 46, had separated after 16 years of marriage. Neither Alba nor Warren have publicly addressed the breakup.

Alba and Warren met in 2004 while they were working together on the set of Fantastic Four. Alba starred in the superhero blockbuster as Storm, while Warren worked behind the scenes as a production assistant.

In May 2008, the pair tied the knot. At the time of their nuptials, Alba was nine months pregnant with their first child Honor, now 16, whom they welcomed the following month. Alba and Warren expanded their family in August 2011 with daughter Haven, followed by Hayes in December 2017.

Six months before calling it quits, Warren opened up to Us Weekly about his relationship with Alba and how much effort they’ve devoted to their romance over the years.

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“I think, ultimately, the friendship and support and just knowing that your partner has your back means everything to us,” Warren exclusively told Us in July 2024. “I think that would be the secret, is just having each other’s back. It’s hard work, but we roll up our sleeves and we do it. It’s wild. It’s the longest relationship I could have ever imagined.”

Three months prior, Alba got candid about her and Warren’s marriage in a conversation with Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt.

“It’s all rosy for 2 ½ years, but then after that you become roommates,” Alba revealed on Schwarzenegger’s “BDA Baby” podcast. “And it’s just, like, you’re roommates. You’re just going through the motion. It’s the responsibility. It’s a lot of, like, checking the boxes.”

Justin Baldoni and his legal team are asking Marvel and Disney to “preserve evidence” relevant to anticipated claims against Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and other parties.

According to a litigation hold letter obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, July 14, The Walt Disney Company’s Bob Iger and Marvel Studio’s Kevin Feige received a request from Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, to “preserve all existing documents and data relevant to the Anticipated Claims.”

This information includes, but is not limited to, any and all documents and communications involving Reynolds’ conduct in connection with any film in the Deadpool franchise.

It also includes any and all documents “relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimate or bully Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.’”

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“It is important that Marvel take every reasonable step to preserve this information until further notice,” Freedman wrote.

The move comes as Baldoni, 40, finds himself in a legal battle with Lively, 37, who costarred alongside the director in the 2024 Sony movie It Ends With Us.

While It Ends With Us is not affiliated with Disney, Baldoni’s attorney previously alleged that Reynolds, 48, may have mocked Baldoni in Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which was released by Disney in July.

According to Freedman, Reynolds’ character ‘Nicepool’ — who is a man bun-sporting version of Deadpool — says such lines as, “Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!” and compliments Ladypool (voiced by Lively) for “snapping back” into shape after giving birth.

When Deadpool points out Nicepool’s misogyny in the scene, the latter replies, “It’s OK, I identify as a feminist.” (Baldoni has previously sported a man bun and has been vocal about his avid feminism. In December 2024, Baldoni received a Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices for his support of women. The reward was rescinded days later amid allegations of sexual harassment.)

Us has reached out to Baldoni’s team, Marvel, Disney and an attorney for Lively and Reynolds for comment.

In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment. The lawsuit alleged that there was a meeting conducted to address Lively’s claims that there was a “hostile work environment” on the set of It Ends With Us.

She also accused the actor of allegedly launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to “destroy” her reputation.

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Baldoni’s lawyer called Lively’s accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us, claiming that Lively filed the lawsuit to allegedly “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the movie’s production.

Baldoni also responded with his own lawsuit, where he was listed as one of 10 plaintiffs suing The New York Times for $250 million after its reporting on Lively’s legal filing. Baldoni’s lawsuit alleged that Lively pursued a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against him and that the Times “cherry picked” communications while leaving out key details in their reporting.

A spokesperson for The New York Times said that the publication is standing by the story and plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

Alan Rickman died on January 14, 2016, but just seven months before his death, he opened up about seeing his young Harry Potter costars thrive as adults.

“I think it’s a relief as much as anything else,” Rickman said of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint‘s success in a June 2015 episode of Josh Horowitz‘s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. “You watch that situation and as much as I was only doing it for seven weeks, they were doing it for 52 weeks. This was their life from 12 to 22. And you would watch it from the sidelines at times and throw the odd lifeline in because there was so little time for that.”

Rickman, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 69, played Severus Snape in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011, and he kept in touch with Radcliffe after filming concluded.

“It’s only in recent years that, for example, I’ve managed to sit down in a cafe in New York with Daniel,” Rickman continued in the interview. “At one point, he was down the road at one theater and I was up the road in another. Huge pride to go to see him in the musical [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]. How dare he be dancing as well as the New York dancers? Because he worked at it.”

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It wasn’t until recently that Radcliffe heard Rickman’s words. Horowitz played the clip at an April 2024 “Happy Sad Confused” recording with Radcliffe in support of Merrily We Roll Along (for which Radcliffe won his first Tony Award).

“I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How can you not be by that voice?” Radcliffe, now 35, said after watching the clip of his late costar. “Even hearing that voice you forget quite how low it was until it echoes through you. I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies. I was terrified by him and was like, ‘This guy hates me.’ Somewhere along the line, he saw that I really wanted to do this and work at it.”

He added that Rickman was particularly supportive of his theater career on both Broadway and London’s West End. “He cut short a vacation in Canada to come and see me in Equus,” Radcliffe said. “He saw every piece of stage work I did when he was alive. He would take me out afterwards and we would talk about it. He was one of the first people to say, like, ‘You should look at voice coaching and Alexander technique and all this stuff.’ He was like, ‘You’re probably not going to get this otherwise, so you should just investigate all this stuff.’ I am so lucky. To hear him say that is really lovely. Thank you for showing me that.”

While Rickman called Radcliffe a “phenomenal” performer in the 2015 podcast, that wasn’t always how he felt. In his personal journals, published in 2022’s Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, he recalled seeing Radcliffe become more professional during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

“He’s so concentrated now. Serious and focused — but with a sense of fun,” Rickman’s May 2003 entry reads of the third movie. “I still don’t think he’s really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct/produce. And he has such quiet, dignified support from his parents. Nothing is pushed.”

Obviously, that changed — Radcliffe has said on several occasions that he didn’t determine he wanted to be an actor post-Potter until the fifth film — and the younger actor didn’t mind hearing the bad along with the good. He even appreciated Rickman’s suggestion.

“I would love to [try] definitely directing,” Radcliffe said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in November 2022. “Producing seems like all the hard parts of the industry without any of the fun, so I don’t really have interest in doing that.”

Radcliffe added, “All the stuff Alan wrote was very lovely and nostalgic reading. Like, from his comments about us, being like, ‘These kids need to learn their lines. That’s kind of a nightmare right now.’ All of that stuff through to us meeting when I was over here [in NYC] when I was doing a play. It was very, very sweet to read all that.”

Rickman is survived by wife Rima Horton.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson recalled having to choose between working on his craft or taking unemployment so he could eat during the beginning of his career.

“I started out in theater. I got my equity card pretty easily [when] I did Shakespeare in the Park,” Ferguson, 49, told Kathy Bates during the Tuesday, January 14, episode of his “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, which was taped before the Los Angeles wildfires broke out last week.

He noted that when the show moved to Broadway it “only lasted a few months” and his career stalled. To make ends meet he worked a few odd jobs.

“I worked at a gift shop. I worked at coffee shops,” Ferguson remembered.

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While he still dabbled in theater during that time frame the money was minimal. “I would do off Broadway things. But there [were] times when the paychecks that you would make doing these off-Broadway shows were not as good as the unemployment,” he explained, adding, “I would really have to think, like, ‘Do I want to eat, or do I want to grow my artistic self and take these great parts?’ And there [were] times when I was really nervous about it.”

He pointed out that “taking work would actually mean a pay cut because my unemployment was more.”

Ferguson made his Broadway debut in 1998’s On the Town. He later starred in the original cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which started in 2006. His Shakespeare in the Park gigs include 2007’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2010’s A Winter’s Tale and The Merchant of Venice and 2015’s The Tempest.

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His small screen career took off in 2006 when he began playing Richie Velch on The Class before landing his biggest TV role to date playing Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family in 2009. The sitcom lasted 11 seasons, ending in 2020. (He was nominated for five Emmys during the show’s run.)

In 2022, Ferguson made a splash on Broadway once again with Take Me Out. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Mason Marzac. He returned to the big screen in 2023 for Cocaine Bear and followed it up with All That We Love in 2024. Ferguson also had a guest starring role on Elsbeth last year.

Outside of acting, Ferguson hosts his podcast and raises his two children with husband Justin Mikita. (The couple welcomed sons Beckett and Sullivan via surrogates in 2020 and 2022, respectively.)

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“We’re a little overbearing at times, and we want to hug them and snuggle them,” Ferguson exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2024 of his parenting style.

“Collectively, they’re both like, ‘OK, enough, back up and together we’re deciding that you guys are a little overwhelming,’” he teased. “I love that they’re kind of already, like, drawing a line in the sand together about us.”

Ferguson noted that he’s OK with his kids uniting against their parents, telling Us, “That’s really sweet. I love that they’re gonna have each other for their whole lives.”