Lily Collins allowed "darker thoughts" to dictate her life during her eating disorder battle.

Lily Collins

Lily Collins

The 31-year-old actress has been in therapy for years and now feels as though she finally understands her disorder.

Lily - who is the daughter of Phil Collins and actress Jill Tavelman - shared: "I've done therapy for years and I feel like I am getting to the route of why I allowed those darker thoughts to dictate how I lived my life, what I did or didn't eat and the restrictions I put on myself.

"Understanding that, coming to terms with that and I have realised that so many of those reasons that I used when I was younger just don't apply to me anymore."

Lily - who is engaged to film director Charlie McDowell - is determined to not let her insecurities dictate her life.

She told the 'Make It Reign' podcast: "A lot of those times happen over an amazing meal and things that I feel that I missed out on because I allowed my insecurities or my lack of speaking about them to dictate how I lived my life.

"I had a lot of voices in my head all the time that silenced my outward voice, a lot of internal ones that stilted me."

The 'Emily in Paris' star admits that Charlie, 37, is helping her to be "the best version" of herself.

She explained: "I've just been empowered through friendships and people who I love, who encourage me to just let go - and the relationship that I'm in - where you really just feel the best version of yourself when your mind and heart are working at its biggest capacity.

"If you're hungry in any way, physically or emotionally hungry, you're never going to be functioning 100 percent.

"You're never going to be feeling like the best version of yourself and then you're not living the life that you should be and the best life that you can."