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Daniel Johns
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He's a much loved rock'n'roller who's married to one of the world's most beautiful women. But singer Daniel Johns has finally revealed the horror behind his teenage anorexia - a condition which nearly left him dead. Johns has admitted he was close to suicide a number of times as he battled the eating disorder in his late teens. It is the first time the singer has spoken at length about his anorexia, a problem which is affecting increasing numbers of teenage boys in Australia. Speaking about his hatred for food during the worst stages of his illness, Johns told ABC interviewer Andrew Denton: "I could somehow convince myself that apples contained razorblades and wouldn't go to restaurants because I thought every chef in the world wanted to poison me. "Kinda when I stopped eating was on our second album, just as it felt like everything was so out of control," he told Denton in the pretaped interview. "The reason I think [I did it] was just to gain control. Johns became so seriously ill he was treated for anorexia nervosa, but it took him some time to take doctors' warnings seriously. "I don't know how I pulled myself out of it," he told Denton. "I think I definitely got scared by the second or third time a doctor told me I was dying." The singer admitted he had considered suicide. "There was three or four years of my life where I hated myself and you know, would have quite happily ended it. But I'm just not like that anymore . . . like [I've] got this amazing life, amazing wife." These days Johns, now 26, is happily married to singer Natalie Imbruglia and preparing for a tour with his new band the Dissociatives, formed with Paul Mac. He is the picture of good health, which is remarkable given his private battle with anorexia and his relatively public battle against reactive arthritis only a few years later. After more than 12 months of rehabilitation treatment, Johns made a full recovery. He married Imbruglia at a ceremony near Port Douglas earlier this year and credits her with providing emotional support. Johns, who said he is likely to record another album with Silverchair, will start his first tour with the Dissociatives this week, with shows starting in Tasmania on Tuesday night. He will be back on stage in Sydney on June 19 and 20. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/05/1086377186083.html
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Daniel Johns
