If you've ever felt like your eating disorder wasn't just affecting you, like it was somehow present in every conversation, every meal, every quiet moment with the people you love, then this week's episode of the Full of Beans Podcast is one you'll want to sit with.

I'm joined by Charlotte Jefferson, therapist and founder of CRJ Therapy, who specialises in working with individuals, couples and families navigating the impact of eating disorders on relationships. And honestly? This conversation went to places I wasn't quite expecting.

We talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough airtime: how eating disorders affect our closest relationships. Not just the person struggling, whether that's with anorexia, bulimia, or any other eating disorder, but the people loving them too.

The third in the room

One of the things Charlotte describes so perfectly is the way an eating disorder can become like a third presence in a relationship. It shows up on dates. It sits at the dinner table. It's there in the moments that are supposed to feel most intimate and connected. And over time, without anyone really meaning for it to happen, it starts to quietly reshape everything.

Roles shift. A partner becomes a carer. Conversations get smaller. People start tiptoeing. And all of that unspoken stuff, the fear, the frustration, the grief of supporting a loved one with an eating disorder, just builds.

Eating disorder recovery and relationships

We also get into the parts of eating disorder recovery that are rarely talked about. Like the fact that trust often rebuilds more slowly for the people around us than it does for ourselves. Or the strange in-between place of rediscovering who you are to each other when things start to shift.

I share a moment from my own experience that still catches me off guard when I think about it,  something small, something ordinary, that showed me just how far I'd come.

The communication piece

Charlotte is such a thoughtful, warm voice on all of this. She shares a reframe for starting those really hard conversations that I genuinely hadn't heard before, and talks about why couples therapy can be such a powerful space when eating disorders are affecting a relationship, not just for getting through the difficult moments, but for building something that lasts long after.

If you're supporting someone with an eating disorder, if you're in recovery and navigating what that means for your relationships, or if you've ever felt like the eating disorder was taking up more space than you were, this one is for you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.



Find Charlotte Jefferson — Eating Disorder Therapist:

🌐 crjtherapy.com 📱 Instagram: @crj_therapy