John Lennon Was Bulimic, New Book Claims

Iconic Beatle John Lennon suffered from an eating disorder that went untreated up until his death in 1980, according to a new book. He would often binge-eat on foods such as Rice Krispies with ice cream, and follow that with self-induced vomiting, claims BackStage Pass VIP, authored by Debra Sharon Davis. The star's weight is said to have fluctuated wildly, and he would apparently "fantasize" about food. These are all symptoms of bulimia, a disease that was still not well-known in Lennon's lifetime. "One must also realize that at that time the public and the media were unaware of bulimia as an addiction and health risk—which made it all the more frightening for John Lennon," claims the author. "He literally had no point-of-reference on what he was experiencing." She adds that the star—who once spoke of his "fat Elvis period" in the mid-60s—was surrounded by drug and alcohol abusers, so his problem was generally overlooked. But Yoko Ono vehemently denies the new claims. "John did not have an eating disorder. Sometimes he slipped and ate a bar of chocolate," she says. "He was always on a very healthy diet…His diets included vegetarian diet, macrobiotic diet and, very rarely, a juice-only diet. All of the above are internationally approved health diets.”