KIWI BROADWAY DARLING MY BATTLE WITH ANOREXIA

Theatre queen Scarlett reveals her behind-the-scenes struggle

- Leena Tailor

Growing up in Auckland, avid theatre lover Scarlett Jacques was encouraged to participate in choirs and theatre shows all around Aotearoa by her adoring mum Kay Ellis. By age eight, she landed her first role in a musical, Frosty The Snow Man.

"Feeling the spotlight hit felt incredible," recalls Scarlett, now 21. "I wanted to keep singing and dancing forever!"

Joining the National Youth Theatre and Auckland Performing Arts Academy, she went on to star in more than 20 productions, including Annie, but after landing the role of Roxie in a Year 13 production of Chicago, she began struggling with body image.

"Roxie gets lifted lots and I went, 'They're struggling to lift me because I'm too heavy - I need to lose weight," recalls Scarlett, who weighed around 54kg at the time.

Then, unable to do what she loved during COVID lockdowns, the aspiring star "spiralled" into an exercise addiction because shedding kilos felt like the only way to gain control of her life.

"I took walks with my mum or ran around Orakei Basin, then I'd do a Zoom dance class and five YouTube workouts."

Scarlett eventually began intermittent fasting, then restricted herself to 400 to 500 calories per day. Gradually, her physical and mental health declined.