Ellie Kildunne, the electric England fullback whose blistering pace lit up the 2023 Rugby World Cup, has courageously opened up about a hidden battle away from the pitch. The 26-year-old star, a key figure in the Red Roses' championship run, has revealed she struggled with disordered eating and body dysmorphia during the coronavirus lockdown, a period that stripped away the structure and support of elite sport.

For an athlete whose life is built on control—hitting GPS targets, lifting precise weights, and chasing tries—the sudden isolation of lockdown created a dangerous vacuum. "Once that's taken away from you, I think I just tried to find that sense of control in other places," Kildunne told BBC Sport. Training alone for the postponed Olympics with the GB sevens squad, without gym access or her team, she turned her competitive drive inward, focusing intensely on running and her physique.

This pursuit of control spiraled into unhealthy patterns. Kildunne described exercising to "earn" meals and chasing an ever-smaller physique, all while grappling with body dysmorphia that distorted her self-perception. "I would have been small but I would see myself as bigger in the mirror," she explained. Isolated from the constant feedback of physios and teammates, her competitive instincts became self-destructive.

Now, having emerged from that struggle and cemented her status as a world champion, Kildunne is using her platform to help others. "It's time for me to speak up about my body dysmorphia to give other people the courage," she said. Her story is a powerful reminder that mental and physical health are deeply intertwined, especially in high-performance environments, and that strength is shown not just in tackles and tries, but in vulnerability and recovery.