Jelena Dokic has spoken about her private battle with an eating disorder for the first time.
In an interview with Stellar published this morning, the former World No 4 said her struggle with disordered eating dates back to her childhood as a refugee in Serbia.
“I actually haven’t talked about my eating disorder [before] because, for so long, I didn’t understand it. But now I know that more than 90 per cent of people that do have eating disorders, it comes from trauma,” the 40-year-old toldStellar.
In Dokic’s case, her condition was further exacerbated by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, Damir, who would “weaponise food” at the start of her tennis career.
“Getting professional help saved my life. I find the eating disorder quite complex. I’m working really hard on it,” she said.
“But the writing of the book (Dokic’s new memoir, Fearless: Finding The Power To Thrive) was a massive step for me because I’ve realised I’m not eating like that anymore. I’ve got more balance now.”
Read Jelena Dokic’s full interview withStellar here
Her split from Tin Bikic, her partner of nearly two decades, in late 2021 was also a major catalyst, Dokic said.
The break-up – which at the time, she attributed to the couple having “grown apart” – spurred on a cycle of binge eating, and led to her attempting to take her own life in April 2022.
“I didn’t know how hard [the break-up] would hit me,” Dokic admitted.
“I’m quite a sensitive person and when I love someone, I really do it, you know, a million miles an hour with my full heart. Ultimately it was very hurtful that it ended.
“I also almost felt like a bit of a failure, as well … I absolutely believe in love and I’d love to go find it again one day. I’m not there yet, but there will come a moment.
“We know by now that I believe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I believe in the best. And I believe in that happy ending. I think ultimately my story is that.”
Dokic, who has spoken at length in the past about her mental health and experience with depression, said there is still a stigma “that if you do have something like this, it makes you weaker”.
“Some of the strongest people I know have gone through literally hell and back and dealt with depression and anxiety or eating disorders,” she said.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Where do you find strength?’ For me, it’s believing and having confidence in yourself that you can get through. I really believe I can find the way. That’s what got me through [the] abuse. That’s what got me through being a refugee twice [and] bullied in school and in the tennis world, as well as getting through my mental health battles and almost taking my own life.
“Every single day that I went through that, I had belief that I can get through it and that it’s going to get better and that I will find a way.”
In January this year, during her work as a commentator for the Australian Open, Dokic made headlines when she revealed the extent of the abusive trolling she’s often on the receiving end of.
Asked why she decided to finally call it out, Dokic said she “could feel something shift” – in the media, the general public, and people on social media as well.
“Everyone was like, ‘OK, enough is enough’ …[People] were supporting me – and men, as well, which I’m really grateful for,” she added.
“And to be honest, the comments have stopped. You have to remember anything that’s bad in the world, any abuse – that includes body shaming, bad comments and being unkind – they thrive in silence.”
Stellar is out today in The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (South Australia)