MAUREEN MCCORMICK - BELOVED BRADY BUNCH STAR CONFESSES TO DARK PAST

Beloved 1970s TV pin-up MAUREEN MCCORMICK has stunned fans by confessing she secretly battled cocaine abuse and anorexia at the height of her fame. The actress, who played wholesome MARCIA BRADY on THE BRADY BUNCH, has revealed she spent a decade hiding her demons from friends and fans in a new magazine article. MCCormick tells American publication People she started the journey towards an eating disorder when as a young actress she gorged herself on ice-cream and didn't gain weight - by making herself sick. She says, "It seemed ideal. Once I started, it was hard to stop." And a former boyfriend turned the teenage MCCormick, now 50, onto cocaine. She adds, "He was friends with people who did drugs. I have a very addictive personality. I know that now." MCCormick admits years of therapy and her faith helped her kick her cocaine habit and adopt a healthier lifestyle: "Being able to quit drugs and finding belief in a higher power gave me the tools to end the bulimia." The actress insists one good thing has come out of her own troubled past - she'll recognise the signs if her own teenage daughter develops drug or anorexia problems. She adds, "She knows what I've been through. I hope that keeps her from making those same mistakes."

23/03/2007 19:52