You have to wonder what else he kept secret...?

John, Chichester, UK

It's a shame he has kept this secret for such a long time - he should have brought it up earlier!

Geoff, Portsmouth,

What I would suggest to john prescott is that he joins Overeaters Anonymous for the support and programme one needs in fighting an addiction to food.

Debbiie Cavedon, West Molesey ,

I have to say he doesn't look too ashamed in that picture...in fact if you look closely you can see he is eyeing up someone elses takeaway.

Jess, notts,

In her book "The Body Never Lies" Alice Miller shows that bulimia is a result of unresolved issues from childhood. The reality is that the media tends to avoid the underlying issue, which is to do with toxic parenting, and the internalisation of the childs anger at being used by his or her parents.

corneilius, London.,

Clearly the man hasn't quite grasped what bulimia is all about and on observing the size of the man its clear that he has forgotten to throw up> Get real two jags.

K sandercock, York, GB

Would all these cruel, ignorant comments have been directed at a female politian in the same place? I think not.

Mary, Bath,

I am disgusted by some of the vitriolic comments posted here. As someone who very nearly lost a sister to bulimia I can assure you it is a very serious mental illness that can affect anyone of any age and any gender, regardless of their size, shape or what they do for a living. It is also an illness that causes substantial feelings of shame - my sister kept her secret for almost ten years and we were very nearly too late to help her. I only hope those of you who can think of no better response than to complain that your tax money has been spent on Mr. Prescott's food are never put through what my family has suffered.

Molly Green, London,

It's doubly disappointing that, in all his time in power, when he recognised that he had this illness, that he was unable to take any positive action to help others. 17 years of suffering, yet in a position to influence government policy and thinking, and he did nothing?

Still, if nothing else it brings out the fact that there is so much support for the anorexics of the world because they look skeletal - those with equally debilitating eating disorders who look obese receive nothing but contempt, and it would have been nice to see this redress the balance - but I think that purely because it is John Prescott it will fail - especially where he references Princess Diana - is her perhaps looking at becoming the People's Politician?

As for wondering why this has surfaced now - his memoirs are nearing completion. There is no altruistic reason for him to expose these facts.

Adam Gale, Gosport, Hampshire

Yeh, but he didnt have it very badly did he?. I mean not like it could have got him a job modelling or anything, just enough to cost the taxpayer four grand a year. Blair thinks hes going to hell for for killing hundreds of thousands of moslems and Prescott for eatings trillions of calories and therefore causing millions around the world to starve to death.

alan, warsk, uk

i think it's fantastic John Prescott has come out. It's about time the people realised that not only women are affected, but men are too, and that's it's a very serious illness. GOOD ON HIM!..And it's great that he is raisin awareness too.

Georgia, Newbury, England

Erh? I thought that the people who suffered from bulemia did so because they had issues over body image - staying thin effectively whilst eating. Not to make fun of those who do suffer from it, but from what I can see Prescot seems to have very effetively overcome his problem. Unless he forgot that being bulemic means you regurgitate what you have eaten. I guess he was 50% there................

Mark Chisholm, Dereham, UK

Surely he means anorexia not bulimia? He looked in the mirror and saw a fat man looking back...

Stress brought on by overwork - didn't he mean to release this on April 1st?

ws, manchester,

Does anyone really need to know about John Prescott's eating disorder? I think the remark that he 'let things get on top of him' will not be taken seriously, i.e. his extra-marital affair!
We hear very little of him now, and think it should be kept that way.

pauline horan, ashford, kent

These negative coments about his political stance are ridiculous, those of you that have decided to comment upon this have just proved that you have no understanding of the illness. Lets just hope you never have to face it in your own lives, that you'll never suffer from it or laugh like this when your children or loved ones can't come to you for help.
Using it in a positive way, I hope his profile can help raise awareness in a world where so many people do not understand this illness. Our political views aside, (this could be the admittance of a bin-man, a footballer's wife, a homeless person or the Queen of England) I think is terribly brave of him to expose and for that I have the upmost respect.
I have suffered for a very long time with eating disorders and what I do for a living is neither here nor there.

Emma, Essex,

Let us stand awed and mediocred before your own perfection, for you, my dear cynics, have that vast sea of omniscience to be able to enlighten us famished fools, who have nothing more than humanity in us, of our misguided understanding! Perhaps you'd also like to back your "he's fat" science up?

D.C., Altrincham,

I have never been a fan of John Prescott.

But nevertheless I am astounded by the lack of compassion, and sheer ignorance, of people posting here. Perhaps people should inform themselves before posting - it isn't just thin girls who get bulimia, and this is part of the problem. Overweight people, and men, with this condition can struggle to be taken seriously. Even though it can be immensely distressing and even life threatening.

Alice, London,

I'm losing faith in the intelligence and decency of humanity. Some people seem to think eating disorders don't exist, and others think it okay to mock somebody with an eating disorder about their weight!

Regardless of what you think of him, it is extremely brave for anybody to make such a revelation, and hopefullly it will increase awareness and encourgae some of you to stop bullying for fun.

Marty, Altrincham,

My fullest thanks and respect go to John Prescott for "coming out " about this. Having a sister who has been a slave to bullimia for many years and still can´t bring herself to confront it all, I hope his tale will shed light on an area which too ofen , too easily is shaded in shame, secrecy and hopelessness. I hope Prescott´s message will cause people to seek healing from the lies and destruction that are bullimia.

mlb, madrid, spain

Next up: MPs need us taxpayers to pay for their groceries in order to maintain energy levels to serve the public effectively, and TV licences to keep abreast with popular culture.

Howard, Manchester,

"Prescott: my secret battle with bulimia"
Judging from his physique it must have been the best kept secret in government.

Jay, reading, berks

Judging by the size of him if John Prescott was bulimac it appears he was forgetting to be sick after his eating binges - just something else he is incapable of doing correctly.

Russ B, Newcastle, UK

The news appears to be that Mr Prescott ate to much and from time to time was sick.

Thank you for telling me something I did not already know.

David Williams, Eastnor, England

bad taste in the mouth...
love it

Dave Williams, Ashford, UK

He wasn’t embarrassed because he had Bulimia – he was embarrassed because he didn’t know what the word meant.

Brian Christley, Abergele , UK

My thought on the article is how brave John Prescott is to come forward and talk about this. Coverage of eating disorders in the media tends to focus around photographs of anorexic women, which doesnt help the common misconception that you have to be female and dangerously underweight to suffer from an ED. I have struggled with eating disorders since i was around 10 years old, I'm now 26 and still stuggling to overcome bulimia. I have never been underweight and at times would have been classed as obese . Does that mean i didn't/don't have an ED? The often ill informed comments written here show exactly why we need more so called "atypical" sufferers to show others that eating disorders make life hell and whether you are underweight or not has little relevence. I find it upsetting that so many people find an illness which could yet kill me and so many others so amusing. I invite you to sit in a room of sufferers, hear their stories, and then see if you find it quite so funny.

Sam, Canterbury,

I am astonished by the callousness of comments poking fun at John Prescott. I am not a fan of his, however, by standing up and publically admitting to an eating disorder like bulimia I think he has done more than he achieved during his political career. This has nothing to do with MPs allowances, or his ability or inability to have served in government. The comments from people regarding the relative size of John Prescott demonstrate the general ignorance of this condition. He has started a debate, and it will be recognized that this is something that can affect anyone. If one individual suffering from bulimia goes to seek medical attention as a result of this story then it has done some good.

For those of you on this post who ridicule and insult John Prescott, you should be truly ashamed of yourselves, I have no doubt that your own lives and those of your families are not perfect. I hope you are shown more compassion if you ever have a problem.

John, Manchester, England

i think you are being totally insensitive, and making a ridiculous judgement far too soon. No he hasnt set up and charities..... yet! But the effect of the revelation on the stigma attached to such medical conditions is huge, and my admitting to his problem he's making huge steps in the right direction.

Plus did you really expect him to admit to the problem when in power?? how naive can you be. Its an embarrassing condition, therefore one would only admit to it when they were likely to encounter the smallest amount of public scrutiny. If he had admitted to it when in office he would have almost certainly have had to resign, would you sacrifice your own job before you intended leaving unnecessarily, i doubt it very much.

All I can say is a huge well done to him, and hope that he continues to remain in good health and the strain of his condition becoming public doesnt cause him to relapse.

Lucy Lillok, London, UK

I admire John Prescott immensely for speaking out. He is helping to destroy the myths surrounding bulimia such as the ludicrous idea that only girls are affected and that bulimics are underweight. I have never had so much respect for a politician and, regardless of if one approves of his work as a politician, this positive move towards creating awareness and helping other silent sufferers getting help is inspiring.
Some claim this announcement is to gain publicity for his new book, but to be honest, if awareness of the life threatening disease is created by the selling of the book, it can be no bad thing.

Robyn Beresford, Cornwall, UK

Hard to swallow if you will pardon the pun. Prescott (two jags) didn't appear too bothered about anybody or anything when he was photographed sticking two fingers up at a Mail photographer! Who in their right mind would want to read his memoirs and judging by the comments above most people have weighed this greedy character up?

Yvonne jones. Mrs., Caithness, Scotland

Although any publicity on Bulimia is welcome (in comparison to the hundreds of articles published on anorexia) as a sufferer for over 20 years I would have to question how on earth you can hold down a job of such responsibilty if the problem was at all serious. And whilst also I can understand how it would be impossible to go public while in full swing of the disorder - it does seem like a bit more than a coincidence that he happens to have a book out now. The majority of sufferes of eating disorder do not get anywhere near achieving their potential in work or relationships. If he was bulimic like Gerry Haliwell Princes Diana (and Billy Piper with her claims to anorexia) all I can say is he has been very very lucky.

Vitrina, London, London

Since when has eating until you feel sick been bulimia?! I'm bulimic myself and from what he says it doesn't ring true. Having said that I am in full support of anything that encourages men such as myself to receive help because it is a terrible disease to live with.

George, Woking, England

Since when is eating until you are sick classified as bulimia?! I'm bulimic myself and I am not fully convinced by his story. Having said that I think that this can only be a positive step towards de-stigmatising the condition and it will encourage many men, such as myself, to recognise their disease and seek help. It is a horrible condition to live with and I am convinced that many men suffer in silence due to embarrassment.

Ian, Leeds, England

This was a Deputy PM who really did not do much for the nation. He was just a token Deputy PM to keep tradition Labours happy. It was Tony B's ploy. He had to have a 'tradition' arm by his side. After all Tony was a Private School boy.

Back to Prescott.....you have got to wonder why he's telling us all this now and not before.......and as come of the comments here generated....who cares?
If he really wants to help, then go to a charity treating cases like these and do something about it, educate the unfortunate. Why don't he inject some of his 'Deputy PM' slush funds to help a new charity/learning organisation?

See what I mean, he did not achieve anyhting and probably will not. All talk and no action....typical politicians......

James Cole, London, UK

I can´t believe the lack of sympathy and the apparent cynicism, this story has inspired in so many readers.

mlb, madrid, spain

I'm sure that all the teenage girls out there with eating disorders will readily relate to the former Deputy Prime Minister's problem.

Paul, Coventry,

Since when has gluttony been an illness?

Brian Christley, Abergele , UK

many of your comments are cruel and insensetive. it is such misconceptions and abuse/ridicule that stop people seeking help and help make eating disorders the most commonly fatal mental illness. as a past sufferer had i seen these comments before i "went public" i would have been destroyed... more.

bec, norwich, uk

I would never have believed it looking at the the picture of two jags

megan Holder, bath, england

I am shocked and disgusted by some of the comments I have read. Whatever your political views, to make such glib comments about a such a horrendous disease is appauling. The fact that people can make such statements when they clearly do not have a clue, is exactly the resaon why people suffering from bulimia do not speak out of get help and suffer in silence. I have suffered with the condition for years and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy (except maybe the ignorant people posting on here, and then you may think twice about what you are saying) I really hope that these people are not making comments like this to friends and family, because as this story has proved you can not tell who may suffer from the disease, and attitudes like the negative ones on here are so damaging. Do you find all mental illness so amusing?

Sheila, London,

"The greatest test of courage on Earth, is for one to bear pain without losing heart." ~Robert Ingersoll

I have long admired Mr. Prescott from the other side of "The Pond," for his character and strength. What he has done by
sharing his battle with bulimia, had to take tremendous courage to bring to light. His courage will have a positive
and lasting effect on many...like a shining ripple on the water,
when those who may be struggling alone, need to be reached the most. Perhaps Mr. Prescotts' whole purpose in life is this alone, who knows? Regardless, Mr. Prescott has made a bright difference in the lives of many, not only today, but in years to come. My words cannot begin to convey my appreciation for his courage. I applaud him. Way to go, Mr. Prescott! Keep soaring!

Gwenne Allyn Hensel, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

I like the quote, "I let things get on top of me" end quote.

Was'nt that his secretary ?.

John, Woking, Surrey

I would empathise with the story if I believed it was true and food for thought. Instead I find the story a distraction from the alternative government running from his office seeking to overthrow the United Kingdom.

D Stanley, Birmingham, England

Bulimics don't vacillate between fat and thin. in fact, a lot of poeple put of huge amounts of wieght if they are bulimic - depsite puking up after a massive gorge, generally, poeple will only ever get rid of 50% of what they consumed. On top of that, your body goes into starvation mode becasue it doesn't know when its next meal will be, how much there will be and whether it will be puked up - so the body trys holds on to everything that is eaten.
bulimia is an addiction just like smoking except its secretive and extremely disgusting...i think its courageous for admitting to this illness. for all the men who suffer in silence from eating disorders, no doubt this wil serve as some sort of comfort.

lucy , london,

On 400 sterling per month scoff allowance I would be a tad porky too.

wills, soton, uk

Perhaps he has misunderstood the syndrome? The Romans used to eat their fill, then be sick so they could eat some more....and repeat until all the food was gone. I always understood that to be greed?

Paul, London,

JOHN PRESCOTT -- ANOREXIC!!! HA-HA-HA-Ha-ha-ha-ha!!!...

Thank you, Times-on-line, thank you!

Elena, Bed's,

I look forward to the video post book launch !

How two jabs slimmed to one jabs

Jeanette Eccles London, London, UK

Didn't have it too badly then....

Susan B, Nottingham,

It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Alice, Sheffield,

Er, I assume that wasn't a pun.

Tom Franklin, London, UK

So, the stress of croquet and and an extra-marital affair during work hours got to him...

Poor man, forced to burden a huge salary even after losing his job.

Alex, Watford, Herts

"It's a pity that so many of the comments on this article seem to lack any compassion" says Garbrielle.
- All one can say in response is that Prescott was never a very sympathetic character. He is REALLY brave to have gone public, some might even say unwise.

Tom Breslau, Sheffield, UK

Stand up Bob from Warrington, I salute you. Your comment nearly killed me with laughter. The tears rolled down my cheeks and it's been a while since that's happened. Please move forward and present yourself to Have I Got News For You.

Mark Chisholm, Dereham, UK

I think it is really good that he has spoken out about having bulimia. I hope it will dispel common misconceptions about EDs being only for silly girls who want to lose weight. It's not about that. It's about comfort, stress, control and many other things. It is a mental disorder, and the thigs you see are just symptoms of the disorder. Anorexia and bulimia have the highest death rate among mental diseases. They are serious. And no, bulimic do no necessarily fluctuate between fat and thin. Bulmics can be any weight, and actually anorexics can be a variey of weights too. The public need to be educated about eating disorders.

Sophie Hope, Gloucester, England

I'm sure you were also bullied when you were ballet training as well.

Roger, Surrey,

“The only break I ever took was to eat. That’s all I did. Work, and then quickly eat something".
Forgotten Ms Temple already?

Tim, Oxford, UK

I have suffered from compulsive overeating and anorexia for ten years, I have learnt it is a serious, potentially fatal illness.I found recovery through Overeaters Anonymous.

sarah, plymouth,

Precott, and the rest of that shower, made me want to throw up often enough.

Roger, Newcastle - upon - Tyne,

I know it's wicked to mock the afflicted but this is one of the most screamingly funny things I've ever heard. It's a bit late for this clown to come whining for sympathy

John Ledbury, Kings Lynn, England

I have a lot of respect for anyone who would go public like this, it is very brave and hopefully will raise awareness of eating disorders.

It's a pity that so many of the comments on this article seem to lack any compassion, it just goes to show how overwhelmingly difficult it can be to tackle an eating disorder - not only do sufferers have to face their own issues to do with good but all too often they must also deal with negative, ill-informed comments from others on top of that.

I have a lot more respect for Mr Prescott than I used to for being brave enough to admit to this publicly.

Gabrielle, Oxford,

He recalled “I turned up and found his waiting room full of young women". Draw your own conclusions folks!!

Claire, London,

A man totally lacking in willpower, or perhaps I should say, won't-power, be it sex, food or lashings of public money.

Don't know what we'd do without his help.

Louise, Gerrards Cross, Bucks

30 years ago I was an extremely fit, healthy, pretty normal (though introverted), 16 year old young man. One could not imagine a more wholesome life – my main interests were the outdoors (I lived on a farm) and girls. Both provided much down-to-earth pleasure and satisfaction. Then one day I was sick at a party – too much wine after a girl-friend ditched me. From that day on I didn’t stop uncontrollably bingeing then throwing up for 2 years – often 3 or 4 times a day. I went from 11 to 7 stone. I was on the verge of death. I had no idea what on earth had taken this total grip on me - this was before even anorexia, never mind bulimia, was a media topic. I managed to kick the bulimia after about 3 years (without any professional help) but developed clinical depression and a serious drink problem. Both I very successfully kept entirely secret from friends and work. My “public face” was still one of a pretty healthy outdoors person in a demanding and macho profession – a professional pilot. Though in reality my life was pretty much hell for over 10 years. I finally sought help some 7 or 8 years later (for the depression which kept me out of work for many months at a time)– the delay had been down to embarrassment: I knew I would have to talk about the bulimia in any search for a cure which I could not face doing until then – essentially because bulimia was thought some neurotic “girly” syndrome. I knew that the bulimia had been a severe and real psychological reaction (you just can’t fake it) to a confusing and stressful family environment (a father with a massive thirst for booze, endless rows, some violence). As soon as I shared this history with a professional the depression and my own recourse to self-medication stopped. Never to reoccur. They were quite simply both caused by a soul tortured by the shame of having suffered the initial illness at a time when male bulimia was never even imagined let alone discussed in the media. I’ve read plenty of good jokes about, and digs at, Pressa online today, pretty much all expressing underneath the disappointment I too feel at New Labour and focusing it upon the person often seen as NL’s court jester. I myself am an ultra-cynic so would normally go even further than most commentators. But for people like me – and I bet there are more of us ex or current bulimics than may be imagined, he changed my life today in a big positive way. And that I believe is what he meant to do. And even if he didn’t have only altruistic intent as some suggest I suspect that in the final analysis this huge salvo into the side of taboo will only have positive results for many. People die of bulimia. I know I was nearly there myself. If a few more seek early help in the future then it’s only a good thing.

jake, UK,

I find it abhorrent that John Prescott is pretending he suffered from such a terrible mental illness as bulimia, it is such an insult to all the folk and the families who go through the trauma of coping with it. What he describes is gluttony at our expense , nothing more. What he hopes is that all those living with bulimia will buy his memoirs.
If he suffered such stress why did he not resign his deputy leadership. He says that eating was his only pleasure, he forgets surely of his affair or hopes we have
Shame on him

Dorothy Wright, Largs, Scotland

Why are the commenters in this topic being so bitchy?

Just grow up. You are like a pack of vultures swooping in at the slightest vulnerability in this man.

It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Alice, Sheffield,

Well done to this brave brave man. I have never been a fan of John Prescott or his political views, but I am so impressed that he is able to admit to this awful illness. I hope it helps other men with eating disorders to get the help they need. Bulimia is a serious and often misunderstood illness. Good luck to him and to any other sufferers!

helen, london,

Having just read all of these comments I am appaled by the sheer lack of awareness members of the public have about eating disorders. People who with disgust and ridicule describe Mr Prescott as 'grossley overweight', and hence cannot believe that he suffers from an eating disorder are ignorant and hugely misguided. People with eating problems come in all shapes and sizes, and are suffering from a very serious medical condition. Eating disorders carry the highest mortality rate of any mental health problem and the long waiting lists to get treatment on the NHS is a disgrace. You talk about a waste of taxpayers money....well I think more of that money should be spent on treating and preventing mental illnesses in the first place.

Anna, student, London, UK

I am impressed by John Prescott's bravery in speaking publicly about his bulimia. It is very difficult to admit to having an Eating Disorder given the stigma that surrounds it, and the misconceptions about these serious illnesses, which are highlighted in the comments here.

I hope that John Prescott's story will help tackle these problems and help the general public to realise that people with Eating Disorders come in all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life.

I have suffered from an Eating Disorder for many years. As a 28 year old female it is still difficult to admit to, but for a male of John Prescott's age it must be even more difficult, especially as he would have known the sorts of comments we can see here from the public would have been likely. People with eating Disorders are afraid to admit to it because of the sorts of attitudes we can see here. I applaud John Prescott's bravery.

Kate Dean, Bangor, Wales,

Those suggesting Mr Prescott was too heavy to have suffered from bulimia are misguided. Bulimics can be any size- some are extremely thin, some are obese. Not all fluctuate in weight, either. Is it too much to ask that we show compassion towards people with eating disorders, rather than labelling them as greedy, lazy or self-obsessed?

I applaud Mr Prescott for his courage. Hopefully this will go some way towards challenging the idea that eating disorders only happen to teenage girls who want to look like models.

Alice, Edinburgh, UK

I wouldn't call having Bulimia "A highlight" of anyone's life Steve. A pretty ignorant comment all in all. There is a lot of shame involved with the disorder, so whatever you think of his politics, he's done a good thing admitting it if helps other people, especially men to seek help

Claire, London,

Ah poor Prescott.....not. He ought to be grateful that he could pay his bills unlike the 5 million poor people who have just had their tax increased. If you want to know about stress speak to them. A big fat cat politician doesn't qualify and anyway why didn't he get out of the kitchen?........

judy, Liverpool, England

Even as a bulemic he is a failure.
Surely it is time that the government acted to stop this binge eating by reducing MPs allowances for food to the same levels they think fit for growing adolescents on school meals.

Bill Irvine, West Lothian, Scotland

"The signs in the toilet gave it away"

Do the intelligent reading public really need to hear the details of this has-been's technicolour yawn?

What a cheek to try and gain public sympathy by blaming the stress of office for his greed and his Neanderthal lavatory etiquette. It seems from some of the earlier posts that a few gullible souls have already been taken in.

Gordon Alexander, Frome, UK

What about his ..
Speaking disorder ?
Reasoning disorder ?
"Family values" disorder ?
Public order (brawling) disorder ?
Did he have ANY useful attributes ...?

Sean, Coventry, UK

I admit it, I am a Bulimic. Unfortunately Iike Two Jags, I forgot to throw up......!

Gareth, UK, UK

Shame he didn't have the courage to admit the disorder when he was in office.

Sress is a common problem. Blair should have spotted it and removed him from office for his own good. Blair was a good orator and good at spin, but so poor at man-management. He appointed individuals to positions beyond their capability and then didn't remove them when they were found lacking.

Tim, Sherborne, UK

For several years we have had an enforced diet of Prescott and have suffered ' stress related vommiting' .................talk about a 'Big Girls Blouse'..............................

Mark, Whitstable, UK

What about all the taxpayers money he wasted? If this is the highlight of his autobiography then I won't be buying it.

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

It does worry me that someone with this level of mental illness has been in such a powerful and influential position for such a long time. We have had the Campbell revelations about his depression, Charles Kennedy's secret alcolholism.
How many more of our leaders are secretly suffering mental illness brought on by the stresses of political life? I am glad that Prescott has come out. This might lend weight to a government led campaign to reduce stress and the illnesses associated with it through out society. It is time we abandoned our workaholic culture and got back to something a bit saner.

sheila, Leicester,

Is it just me. But some one who claims food shopping as an expense, then says he's bulimic.
To me, is the same as a politician who says they tell the truth.

David, Essex,

I think its about time that more should be done to tackle eating disorders. My sister has suffered from anorexia from over 4 years and the NHS are not equipped to deal with the disease. I applaud Mr Prescott for confessing and hope that he will change the way in which bulimia and anorexia are not only handled but portrayed.

Name withheld, Leeds,

I've never been a John Precott fan and, quite frankly, I always found him to be quite incompetent. But I admire him for coming out about this. Hopefully this will help challenge people's perceptions of bulimia and other eating disorders.

Morag, Scotland,

All that taxpayers' money down the drain, literally, as you can be sure that the food bills would have been paid out of expenses.
Sorry, no sympathy, Mr. Prescott. You wanted the job and Blair promoted you way above your competence level, hence the stress.

R.M., London, England

I applaud Mr Prescott for talking about his problems. Eating Disorders are serious, sometimes fatal, mental illnesses about which there is little understanding even within the medical community. They are very often either trivialised or sensationalised in the media and are sometimes seen only as the behaviour of silly middle class girls who want to look like models. I hope that if nothing else, Mr Prescott's description of his own illness will help to dispel some myths and bring about better understanding of the problems faced by sufferers and their loved ones including the 10% (possibly an under-estimate) of sufferers who are male, and all those sufferers who are over 25.

Fiona Bromelow, Gloucestershire,

Funny how this revelation coincides with his forthcoming memoirs...

A. Hunt, London, UK

Put a crust on a hand grenade and I think we've got him.

Bob, Warrington, Cheshire

More of an exercise to shift a few pounds from anyone daft enough to buy Mr Prescott's book, methinks. It's enough to make anyone puke!

Brian, Liverpool, England UK

He does not really mean we should feel sorry for him , does he? I feel sorry for the way he did policy. And for England!

Sabine P., Hamburg, Germany

It's always the ones you least expect...

Chris Jackson, London,

Prescott scoffing so much that he vomits...well I never.

Troughs at the Hof P must be bigger than previously thought.

Steve Smith, Doncaster, UK

But what about the pies?

Richard Philpotts, Stratford-Upon-Avon,

His gluttony knows no bounds. Didn't he even have a young secretary on his desk?

Anne Wotana Kaye, London, England

Bulimia - what a laugh - who has ever seen such a gross overweight, over eating man like Prescott suffering from Bullimia - what a load of rubbish

jennifer baker, Farnham, uk

Any excuse is a good excuse! I've always thought Prescott an excuse for a politician and a successful self serving one at that. I hoped we had heard the last of him.

Terry, Radstock, England

Obviously he puked up his brain at an early age.

Mike, Sydney,

John Prescotts memoirs.!!!!
A serialization that has to missed.
Obviously he cannot afford all his snacks on his mere MP's pension, European wage and other spin offs.

rob, derby, uk

I think it is wonderful that Prescott has come out and confessed to this illness. As a young man I would drink a dozen pints a night and eat crisps, nuts and anything the pub sold, then go for a curry and few more pints. I thought I was just a drunken slob clearly I was just bulemic and didn't have a doctor to pamper my ego

David, Guildford, Surrey

Frankly I find this hard to believe.
Don't Bulimics vacillate between fat & thin ?
When did we 'ever' see a thin Prescott ? as I recall he has always been a rotund figure & it's no surprise to see he is now suffering for his greed.

maggie millington, brittany, france

Life can be so unfair to some people.

Bernard Parke, GUILDFORD,

It's not April the 1st is it?

John, Beverley,

How strange that Prescott, as well as making us all sick, should make himself sick as well. Quite an achievement for such an objectionable individual.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England