Love Island UK's Shaughna Phillips opens up about suffering from body dysmorphia and adopting dangerous fad diets

Love Island UK's Shaughna Phillips has opened up about her struggles with body dysmorphia.

The 28-year-old revealed that she started to adopt dangerous fad diets when she was just a teenager.

"Starting from the age of 14 or so, I don't think I've ever been off a diet," she told OK Magazine. "I think from a very young age I was taught that food is the enemy."

Stream every episode ever of Love Island UK and Love Island Australia for free on 9Now.

Shaughna admitted at one point she took her diet to such an extreme that she eating less than 500 calories (2,000 kilojoules) a day.

Speaking of the restricted diet, she explained that a "good day" was when she hardly ate anything and/or worked off anything she ate on the treadmill.

"I used to carry around like a chocolate bar in my bag. If I ever felt very faint I'd have a bite of the chocolate bar to keep me conscious, which is just ridiculous," she said.

"I definitely think I had body dysmorphia in Love Island because I was so insecure." 

READ MORE: Shaughna Phillips reveals the one word she blocked on social media

Previously the reality star has opened up about some of the drastic measures she undertook before appearing on the show.

One of them included asking a friend to "fat shame" her to keep her diet in check.

"I told her, 'If I ever go to get a biscuit with my cup of tea, say to me like, is that biscuit going to look nice in a bikini?' I needed someone to constantly be on me," Shaughna explained in a YouTube video.

"She would do it, and I would be like, 'I'm glad, but I hate you'. If anyone else heard they would be like, 'Wow Chloe is really rude', not knowing that I asked her to do it."

While the reality star put pressure on herself to get fitter ahead of entering the Villa, she still felt self-conscious during her time on the show.

"I was aware of how I looked, and I was aware that I was the biggest girl in there. But watching old episodes back now. I wish I was as fat as I thought I was when I was in Love Island," she said.

"I look at myself when I was in there now and was like, 'You look fab'. That is proof that you're never happy with what you've got.

"I was self-conscious but I had no reason to be."

It wasn't just losing weight that caused concerns for Shaughna.

At one stage she was unhappy because she felt that she was "too skinny."

But there was a turning point. Shaughna revealed that she changed her mindset with the goal of being physically stronger. This led to the introduction better eating habits, and she now focuses more on how she feels, rather than her size.

Back in March Shaughna launched her own fitness, nutrition and lifestyle plan 'BE YOU WITH SHAUGHNA'.

"The thought of working out can be completely intimidating, and the pressures we put on ourselves can be punishing," she captioned her launch post. 

"That's why this plan is so important to me. I wanted to create something that isn't about how you look, it's about how you FEEL."

Shaughna rose to fame after appearing on Love Island UK Season 6, but was burned in her search for love.

Callum Jones — who she was Coupled Up with — chose to Recouple with Molly Smith during the Casa Amor twist, leaving Shaughna single and blindsided by his new romance.

If you or someone you know needs support relating to eating disorders, please call The Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673 or access their website at butterfly.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Stream every episode ever of Love Island UK and Love Island Australia for free on 9Now.