Fearne Cotton has told of her past battle with bulimia.

The TV presenter, who has previously talked about depression and panic attacks, said the bulimia was caused by imposter syndrome, having been in the limelight at a young age.

Cotton, 38, told the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast: “I didn’t feel smart enough or like I was good enough for the job.”

She said stress manifested itself in her 20s with “a disordered relationship with my body and food for 10 years”.

“It’s been this weird secret that I’ve felt a little bit embarrassed about, a little bit ashamed of, a little bit worried about.

“I’m still worried now – what people are going to think when I tell this story and share this side of myself? I had that on/off for a good decade of my life.

“At the beginning of my 20s it was quite intense and sort of ruled everything, and then in my later 20s it was more like a bad habit I would kick into if something emotional was happening or if I felt out of control.”

The former Radio 1 DJ and Top Of The Pops host said she felt she had “recovered”, adding: “It is the past.”