Sam Faiers has revealed she was triggered to pull out her eyelashes after her stepdad, Dave Chatwood, was jailed when she was younger, saying she did it was a “wish” for him to get out of prison.
The Mummy Diaries star appeared on Friday’s Lorraine to discuss her diagnosis, after revealing she was seeking therapy for the condition , which causes people to be unable to resist the urge to pull out their hair, including eyebrows, eyelashes and the hair on your head.
Sam candidly opened up on the condition as she recalled the first time she started doing it when she was younger while speaking to presenter Christine Lampard.
The reality TV star, 28, explained: “When I was younger, I was really close to my dad Dave. He went to prison and got sentenced to a very long time. I took that quite hard, but I was only little so I didn’t really understand, I just thought he wasn’t there. He’s gone.”
She added: “And then one day a family friend came around, a little girl, and said ‘did you know if you pull out your eyelashes and make a wish, the wishes come true?’ So, me being a little girl thinking this is what’s going to bring my dad home.
“So I used to pick out my eyelashes, make the wish for my dad to come home from prison and then wish it would come true. So that’s actually really traumatic for a little girl, and my mum, to go through.”
Sam continued: “I don’t really relate it to that anymore. I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s just a habit, but actually that was my trigger and that’s where it stemmed from.”
It comes after the mother-of-two bravely opened up on her condition, saying she decided to start seeing a therapist after fearing her baby daughter Rosie would start copying her by pulling out her eyelashes.
Speaking exclusively to OK! magazine, she said: “I’ve had two in the last couple of months. But it’s meant to take a minimum of six to eight sessions, so it’s a process. It’s hypnotherapy.
“They speak to your subconscious, so you’re not in a deep sleep but you’re very relaxed. She tells you how lovely your eyelashes are, that your hands don’t need to be near your eyes, but should stay by your sides.”
When asked if she’s seen an improvement, Sam added: “No [laughs]! I rang my therapist after the first sessions and was like: ’I’m picking them out more!’ She was like: ‘This is normal. It’s not that you’re picking them out more, it’s that you’re aware of it now. So you notice when you’re doing it.’
“I have noticed that my bottom eyelashes are coming through, but I am still pulling on the top.”
