Gabby’s Emmerdale future ‘bleak’ as ‘extreme’ orthorexia story confirmed

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Gabby sits at a table in the kitchen of Home Farm while on her phone in Emmerdale

Rosie Bentham warns of worse to come for Gabby Thomas (Picture: Mark Bruce/ITV)

Gabby Thomas has been slowly but surely succumbing to incredibly disordered eating for a while in Emmerdale, and according to actor Rosie Bentham, it’s going to get much worse before it gets any better.

What started as a dedication to ‘clean eating’, inspired by the content she’s consumed on social media, is quickly descending into a more and more restrictive diet, one Gabby is increasingly insistent on maintaining complete control of.

‘We are all guilty of ‘doom scrolling”, Rosie mused. ‘It is about looking good, feeling confident, and being in control – something that eventually takes over her life.’

Control, Rosie agrees, is the biggest driver for Gabby at the moment.

‘She is losing control of her life in many aspects – love interests, not finding her place, and her mum being away in Portugal. Gabby has had a difficult time – failed relationships, rejection, failed marriages. She has tried to fix her life with men, romance, business, and money, and now she is trying to prioritise herself.

‘She wants to be in control of her health, her child, and her life. But it becomes a compulsive, pathological fixation. She is also judging others, which reflects the current social media pressure to fit into a certain bracket.’

Ross rejects Gabby's attempt at seducing him in Emmerdale

Rosie believes a ‘loss of control’ is fuelling Gabby’s obsession (Picture: Mark Bruce/ITV)

As her intake becomes every more restrictive, Gabby suffers a collapse, though it’s not enough to make her see that she’s rapidly developing a problem: ‘She is completely unaware that it is becoming obsessive.

‘She has a dizzy spell, and Manpreet talks to her about health and potential pregnancy, but overall, it’s just seen as a ‘pat on the back’ for living healthily.

‘It reinforces Gabby’s mindset that she is doing the best thing for herself. While eating healthy is a positive thing, for Gabby, this is developing into a complete, pathological fixation.

‘Because Manpreet asks if she is eating healthily, and Gabby says ‘absolutely’ – which is technically true, but she’s not eating enough of it. It’s reinforcing her mindset that she’s doing the best for herself.

Billy speaks to Gabby in Home Farm in Emmerdale

Rosie worries that the future is more ‘bleak than bright’ for Gabby (Picture: Mark Bruce/ITV)

Gabby went on to explain about where Gabby’s storyline is headed: primarily, a battle with orthorexia: ‘While it isn’t currently a recognised eating disorder, it is an excessive concern for everything going into her body.

‘It will be interesting to see how this plays out regarding her relationships, her son Thomas, and her job in the food industry.

Are things set to get darker? According to Rosie, yes: ‘I think the future is more bleak than bright with this behavior.

‘While she has found stability in her business, the dark tunnel she is going down is extreme. She is making food the ‘villain’ – for example, not wanting Thomas at a party because of the menu. It is consuming her whole brain.

Orthorexia

Orthorexia was defined in 1997 by Dr Steven Bratman, MD. It is not currently recognised in a clinical setting as a separate eating disorder, so someone who visited the doctor with the symptoms would not be officially diagnosed with ‘orthorexia’, although the term may be brought up when discussing their illness.

Orthorexia refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating ‘pure’ food. Food considered ‘pure’ or ‘impure’ can vary from person to person. This doesn’t mean that anyone who subscribes to a healthy eating plan or diet is suffering from orthorexia. As with other eating disorders, the eating behaviour involved – ‘healthy’ or ‘clean’ eating in this case – is used to cope with negative thoughts and feelings, or to feel in control. Someone using food in this way might feel extremely anxious or guilty if they eat food they feel is unhealthy.

It can also cause physical problems, because someone’s beliefs about what is healthy may lead to them cutting out essential nutrients or whole food groups. All eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, and should be treated as quickly as possible to give the sufferer the best chance of fully recovering.

Behavioural signs of orthorexia include:

Cutting out particular foods and food groups from their diet in an attempt to make their diet more healthy. More and more foods may be cut out over time. Taking an existing theory about healthy eating and adapting it with additional beliefs of their own. Poor concentration. Judgment about the eating habits of others. Obsession with healthy or supposedly healthy diet. Increased focus on what they’re eating may interfere with other areas of the person’s life, such as their relationships or work

Psychological signs of orthorexia include:

Obsession with healthy or supposedly healthy diet. Increased focus on what they’re eating may interfere with other areas of the person’s life, such as their relationships or work. Feeling unable to put aside personal rules about what they can and can’t eat, even if they want to. Feelings of anxiety, guilt, or uncleanliness over eating food they regard as unhealthy. Emotional wellbeing is overly dependent on eating the ‘right’ food. Low mood or depression.

Physical signs of orthorexia include:

If someone with orthorexia is following a diet that cuts out important food groups or nutrients, this could lead to malnutrition, with signs such as:

Weight loss. Feeling weaker. Tiredness. Taking a long time to recover from illness. Feeling cold. Low energy levels.

Information sourced from: www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Rosie went on to discuss her own interest in this story: ‘I am passionate about fitness and health, and I am part of a gym community.

‘I have seen the misinformation online from unqualified people telling others what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’. It made me question who we are listening to and why it forms such a big part of our identity.

‘I’ve known people who have struggled with binge-restrict cycles, but orthorexia – this literal fixation where you can’t think about anything else – is different.

‘It’s that desire for wellness taken to an extreme where it consumes your emotional well-being without you realising it.

Manpreet, Gabby and Laurel in The Hide in Emmerdale

Rosie believes social media is helping to fuel Gabby’s eating disorder (Picture: Mark Bruce/ITV)

‘I do think it’s getting more common and I think social media has fuelled a lot of this.

‘It’s rife with people seeking health advice from influencers while walking down supermarket aisles, without factual research.

‘Gabby is of the age where social media plays a huge part in her life, and she is seeking validation and advice from people online who aren’t qualified.

‘It’s not that healthy eating is bad – it’s great – but the motivation behind it becomes the problem when it dictates your anxiety and guilt.’