Bronte’s Story: Tears, Trials and Triumps: a Personal Battle with Anorexia

Bronte Cullis is the infamous Melbourne teenager who fought and beat anorexia nervosa. Her battle with the disease were first recorded by Ray Martin on A Current Affair in 1996 and 1997. She was only 16. On television, we watched in awe at this girl who refused to eat. Years of tears, tantrums and family frustrations followed. As Jan, Bronte’s mother said at the time: “Bronte didn’t have anorexia - the whole family had anorexia”. Bronte’s parents were desperate. They knew their daughter was about to die unless they did something drastic. They mortgaged the family home, sold what they could and sent Bronte to the Montreux Clinic, an unconventional eating disorder clinic half a world away in Canada. It was Bronte’s last chance at survival…Bronte has kept diaries from the day she became sick with anorexia. This is her story.