Climate activist Greta Thunberg stopped talking and eating aged 11 as she struggled with autism and an eating disorder before discovering her mission to save the world

Greta Thunberg’s mother reveals how the climate change activist ‘stopped talking and eating’ aged 11 as she struggled with autism and an eating disorder before discovering her mission to save the world. 

Before discovering to save the world, Greta was ‘disappearing into some kind of darkness’ her mother has revealed.

Malena Ernman has told of her daughter’s struggle with autism and an eating disorder in new book written by the Thunberg family. She describes how Greta, now the world’s most recognised climate change activist became unwell aged 11.

Ernman writes: ‘She was slowly disappearing into some kind of darkness. She stopped playing the piano. She stopped laughing. She stopped talking. And she stopped eating.’

Ernman and her husband reveal their difficulty in coping with their daughter’s increasing silence and refusal to eat anything.

She write: ‘After two months of not eating, Greta has lost almost 10kg, which is a lot when you are rather small to begin with. Her body temperature is low and her pulse and blood pressure clearly indicate signs of starvation.

‘She not longer has the energy to take the stairs and her scores on the depression tests she takes are sky high.’

Greta, now 17, dressed United Nations Climate Change summits in 2018 and 2019 as part of her campaign to raise awareness over global warming.

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Written by

Lizzie Day

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