Cheeky Girls Gabriela and Monica reveal secret battle with anorexia at the height of their fame and say eating disorder will 'always be there'
They rose to fame after appearing on Popstars: The Rivals and went on to release their hit single Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum).
Yet The Cheeky Girls, made up of twins Gabriela and Monica, have now bravely revealed that during their successful pop reign they battled anxiety, depression and anorexia.
Talking on Loose Women, the Romanian-born singing duo, both aged, 35, candidly spoke about their eating disorder which took control over the first five years of their career as they worked 24 hour days, had no social life and travelled.
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Secret battle: The Cheeky Girls, made up of twins Gabriela and Monica, have now bravely revealed that during their successful pop reign they battled anxiety, depression and anorexia
Monica said: 'During the first five years of our career, we enjoyed success and suddenly we found that our life was totally controlled by the record label.
'We didn't have free time for ourselves, working 24 hours a day during travelling. Our mum was our Manager, she was trying to look after us, but it was hard as we didn't have a social life, which led to depression.
'We adapted in the UK very quickly, but when you grow up in your home town, you don’t really have that same system when you drop in another world.'
Open: Talking on Loose Women, the Romanian-born singing duo, both aged, 35, candidly spoke about their eating disorder which took control over the first five years of their career (pictured during Popstars: The Rivals in 2002)
Scary: Yet despite bravely overcoming the eating disorder, the twins still suffer with severe symptoms of anorexia such as memory loss (pictured Gabriela)
Yet despite bravely overcoming the eating disorder, the twins still suffer with severe symptoms of anorexia such as memory loss.
Monica added: 'I look back on things and I have a lot of memory loss. We were feeding each other mentally, we never had a problem of weight, but it was due to loss of control.
'We wore baggy clothes, we made everyone believe we were eating. We got competitive with each other, we were hiding it very well.'
They added: 'Once you suffer from this condition, it will always be there, but we are 100% in control, we are in a better place.'
Debut: They rose to fame after appearing on Popstars: The Rivals and went on to release their hit single Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) (pictured in 2003)
Under pressure: The girls then revealed that during their height of fame, they even splashed out £100K on breast implants as they felt under pressure (pictured Monica)
The girls then revealed that during their height of fame, they even splashed out £100K on breast implants as they felt under pressure.
They added: 'In 2003, we released our single [Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)], we felt pressure, we had no breasts, we filled our breasts with socks.'
Monica is now happily married to her long-term boyfriend Shaun Taylor, with the two tying the knot in 2016 after getting engaged in 2012.
Yet Gabriela, who was previously engaged to politician Lembit Opik, joked she is 'single and available'.
Momager: 'We didn't have free time for ourselves, working 24 hours a day during travelling. Our mum (pictured) was our Manager, she was trying to look after us,' they revealed (pictured in 2003)
Relationships: Monica (right) is now happily married to her long-term boyfriend Shaun Taylor, while Gabriela (left) is 'single and available'
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