I confess I didn't find this link myself; my co-worker at PW, Daniel McQuade did. The reason for that is that I haven't watched American Idol more than once, which I know makes me a freak in this culture, and I don't in fact know who Katherine McPhee is. I gather she's quite popular, though.

McPhee shared her "secret struggle" with People magazine. At her worst, McPhee was purging seven times a day, which is like "taking a sledgehammer to your vocal chords," she says. McPhee's experience should be a lesson for young girls who thinking purging will make them lose weight. At the height of her illness, McPhee weighed 160 pounds. After participating in a three-month eating disorder program, she's now free of the bulimia, and she weighs 135 pounds. You hear that, girls? It's not going to work.

Anyway, McPhee's revelation will certainly help shed light on the issue, if this CNN article is any indicator. On the other hand, since her coming out, as it were, McPhee has canceled a slew of interviews and appearances, presumably because she doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe she regrets being so candid.

McPhee one of millions with bulimia