Lisa Rinna's Daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin Opens Up About Her Eating Disorder Recovery

Model gets candid about her journey, sharing her personal life with the world

Amelia Gray Hamlin is opening up about her recovery, just over a year after going public with her eating disorder.

In late March 2018, the daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin—who was just 16 at the time—took to Instagram to reveal her past battle with anorexia. In her post, Amelia shared two photos of herself in a bikini, one present day shot and one from a year prior.

"Last year at this time there was no doubt that I was not okay," she shared. "Not only physically but also mentally."

Now, Amelia, 18, is reflecting on her Instagram post in a piece for Glamour, explaining how sharing her story with the world helped in her recovery.

"All these young girls were following me and commenting on my posts, and I realized I didn't want them to be following a lie," Amelia says of her decision to speak out. "I couldn't allow little girls, or little boys, or whoever, to look at the changes in my body and think I'd just hit puberty—that the really skinny photos of me from the year before were just a normal prepubescent body. I couldn't stop thinking about the message those comments about my body sent."

"I couldn't hide behind the screen anymore," she adds. "That's when I started speaking publicly about my eating disorder."

Amelia goes on to share that if she "hadn't come out about my eating disorder when I did" she "probably would have relapsed."

"I have such a strong support system—my mom included," Amelia says in Glamour. "This season on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a couple of episodes touch on my anorexia. I can't bring myself to watch footage from when I was really struggling. I just can't relive it. I've come so far, and it would make me too sad to see how I used to act."

Amelia's journey even inspired Real Housewives star Kyle Richards to speak out about her experience with an eating disorder.

"If there's one message I'd want people to take away from my story, it's this: Don't comment on other people's bodies," she advises. "You never know what someone might be struggling with—even what you mean as a compliment can be a trigger. I honestly think so many problems could be avoided if people were more careful with their words."

To read more from Amelia, head on over to Glamour.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.