Molly seemed like a typical teenager, but her secret nearly killed her

From the outside, Molly Anderton seemed like any other young girl. But beneath the surface, she was battling a storm that would shape the course of her teenage years.

Molly’s struggles began at just 13. As an undiagnosed autistic child, she always felt different but didn’t fully understand why.

“I always struggled with my mental health. I was an anxious child,” she said. “My parents separated when I was young, which had more of an impact on me than anyone realised at the time.”

But it was when Molly, now age 23, transitioned to secondary school that things became overwhelming.

“I really struggled with the transition of a small, friendly primary school into this huge, overwhelming high school where I didn’t know anyone,” she added. “I didn’t really know how to make friends and I felt persistently overwhelmed with everything.”

As the pressure of school intensified, so did her struggles. Molly began experiencing problems with her body image, eventually becoming so self-conscious she avoided going to the toilet so she didn't have to see her own reflection in the mirror.

By the age of 13, her relationship with food had become disordered and things quickly spiralled. The loss of her grandmother triggered a sharp decline in her mental health, leading her down the path of anorexia and self-harm.

“Within the space of three months, my life went from being difficult and me being able to mask most of my mental health struggles to things being completely unmanageable,” she said.

“I couldn’t hide how bad things were anymore. We had a really stressful financial situation at home, which just exacerbated things.”

Former top student Molly not only found herself unable to attend school - she also missed out on her formative teenage years.