Anorexia is not necessarily a condition most people would associate with either men or adults, but Christopher Eccleston's experience has shown how dangerous it is to generalise regarding eating disorders.

The 'Doctor Who' actor has revealed his ongoing battle with the disorder, saying that he has suffered with it for his entire life.

The 55-year-old Manchester native and dad-of-two made the admission in his forthcoming autobiography 'I Love the Bones of You: My Father and the Making of Me', adding that he was "very ill" during the filming of his best-known role as 'Doctor Who'. He played the role for one series in 2005.

"Many times I’ve wanted to reveal that I’m a lifelong anorexic and dysmorphic,” he wrote. “I never have. I always thought of it as a filthy secret, because I’m northern, because I’m male and because I’m working class."

He added: "The illness is still there raging within me as the Doctor. People love the way I look in that series, but I was very ill. The reward for that illness was the part. And therein lies the perpetuation of the whole sorry situation."

Eccleston also said that after separating from his wife in 2015, he had been suicidal. “I was in a state of extreme anxiety, convinced I was either going to die or I was going to kill myself," he said. "In my despair I reached for my phone and looked up a psychiatric hospital, I rang ahead, grabbed my bag and ran."

He has been on anti-depressants since the episode, and “I could be on them for the rest of my days. I do have an issue with that,” he wrote. “I would like to attempt slowly to reduce the dose to experience reality again.”

His autobiography is published on September 19th.