'I'd rather not post anything than risk triggering people'

Zara McDermott opens up about her emotional journey investigating the rise of eating disorders in the young - and how it made her rethink her social media use

- Georgia Trevitt

Influencer Zara McDermott has shone a light on the devastating rise of eating disorders in young people and how social media can fuel their issues, admitting, "I don't want to be part of the problem but if I am, I need to understand why."

The Love Island star-turned-presenter, 25, says while she has never had an eating disorder, making BBC Three film Disordered Eating has been a huge learning journey - and made her think twice about what she posts.

"I'm starting to worry there's a clash between what sells and what might harm. It makes you ask, "What can I do differently?" said Zara, who has 1.7 million followers on Instagram and 230,000 on her A Day With Zara food account.

The documentary also shows her examining her own relationship with her body and food.

She said, "Before Love Island, I'd never looked at a calorie in a food in my life." But Zara admits "that changed very soon after" and she started to get cruel body shaming comments. "I wanted to get fitter, I started looking at calories on food and when I started to see results, I wanted to share my transformation," she said.