The long-term partner of rugby player Immortal Andrew Johns has revealed how she turned to drugs to overcome a debilitating eating disorder and become a better mother.
Kate Kendall said she had been battling bulimia for nearly three decades but finally overcame the disorder during the country’s Covid lockdown after a doctor gave her a prescription for medicinal cannabis.
“That softened the whole experience,” he told The Weekend Australian Magazine.
‘I had tried to treat it many times before with a lot of talk therapy, but I only got so far.’
The Sydney yoga instructor, who has been with Johns since 2016, said she was determined to finally conquer the devastating disease so she could be a better role model for the couple’s six-year-old daughter, Alice.
“It had become really painful for me because she was a few years old (at the time) and I really started to worry about what I was modeling for her as a parent.”
The 43-year-old said she used the drug for six months as part of a holistic 12-step program overseen by an eating disorder coach and a dietitian.
The regimen consisted of consuming drops of cannabis oil orally before dinner each night to help overcome the anxiety he experienced when eating.
Kate Kendall said she had been battling bulimia for nearly three decades but finally overcame the disorder during the country’s Covid lockdown after a doctor issued her a prescription for medicinal cannabis.
The 43-year-old said she used the drug for six months as part of a holistic 12-step program overseen by an eating disorder coach and a dietitian.
“I would take it an hour before eating and just sit with it and let it wash over me and relax me; the cannabis would ease the anxiety and the overall experience,” she told the magazine.
‘I had a hard time sitting down with that feeling of fullness, so I tended to restrict myself a lot.
‘I had a session with a doctor who prescribed me marijuana because he had heard it could help release tension.
‘It relaxed my ‘supercontrol’ and my body felt more at ease and more receptive to food; more comfortable saying yes to food instead of being scared, restricting or rejecting it.’
More than a million prescriptions have been written for medicinal cannabis since it was first legalised in Australia in 2016, and Kendall has not ruled out accessing another one if circumstances warrant in the future.
“Now I have a relaxed experience with food most of the time and don’t feel the need to use it,” Kendall said.
“But maybe that will change, maybe I’ll turn to that ally again at some point. It definitely helped me get through a very difficult time.”
The Sydney yoga instructor, who has been with Johns since 2016, said she was determined to finally beat the devastating disease so she could be a better role model for the couple’s six-year-old daughter, Alice.
His teammate Johns, a former NRL legend for Newcastle, New South Wales and Australia, has also been a vocal advocate of the drug, saying it had helped him manage the ongoing physical ravages he suffered after more than 300 games of top-flight football.
His teammate Johns, a former NRL legend for Newcastle, New South Wales and Australia, has also been a vocal advocate of the drug, saying it had helped him manage the constant physical ravages he suffered after more than 300 games of top-flight football.
It also helped her control the seizures she has experienced since she was diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy in 2016.
“For me, I’ve talked about it a lot because it’s completely changed my life. I started taking it four or five years ago because of seizures I was having, which may have contributed to the concussions,” John said on Wide World of Sports’ Immortal Behaviour.
‘Since I started taking it, I don’t have any seizures, but I still take a traditional medicine for that, but I’m clearer than ever.
‘Physically, because of my body, I no longer take anti-inflammatories or painkillers, and with my personality, I shouldn’t have painkillers at home.
“It’s been a radical change for me. Sometimes I surf three or four hours a day. I wake up and I don’t have any inflammation. It takes away all the inflammation.”
Obviously, after coming home from commentating football, I was very nervous. I used to take sleeping pills, but I haven’t taken any in these 18 months.
“I read a lot, but sometimes my mind wanders. I can concentrate better now. And my colleague Kate says I’m calmer.”
Johns also credited his partner for introducing him to yoga, saying the discipline has kept him focused and helped his mental health.
“I always thought yoga was for girls, but now I wish I’d done it more when I was playing. Physically it’s great for my body, especially with all the injuries I’ve had, but mentally it’s even better – it really clears my mind,” she said.
“It also helps me stay in control. If I know I’m going to do yoga in the morning, I behave well the night before, within reason.”
