I was a child star scoring my first TV role aged 11 - it led to a life of body dysmorphia that I still suffer from aged 39

I was a child star scoring my first TV role aged 11 - it led to a life of body dysmorphia that I still suffer from aged 39 Holly Matthews runs The Happy Me Project, helping women build confidence Read More: I lost my husband to a rare brain tumour at just 32 By Holly Matthews Published: 07:47, 16 September 2024 | Updated: 08:14, 16 September 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Walking onto a TV set for my first day was daunting. I was just 11 years old and had recently been cast on a popular UK children's drama, Byker Grove. As a pre-teen in the 90s, I was very unaware of how to do my hair or make-up and had very little knowledge of fashion of the time (other than what I saw my school friends wear).

I remember stepping into the bright make-up room and feeling so small next to the older (more experienced) girls in the cast. They were only a few years older than me but they seemed so sophisticated and self-assured, while I held back, unsure of what to do. The make-up artist showered them with compliments: 'Your hair looks amazing!' 'Wow, you look so beautiful' and then she turned to me and said 'Oh you've got really bad skin, we'll have to cover that'.

I felt my face burn red. Sadly, that one moment would have a profound impact on the next ten years of my life. Coventry-based actress Holly Matthews, who runs The Happy Me Project, helping women build their confidence, revealed being on TV made her develop body dysmorphia Growing up on TV meant that for six months of the year (the time i.