Los Angeles : Actress Lily Collins says she has a personal connection to her "To the Bone" character, who battles anorexia, as she also once suffered from a eating disorder.

"This movie was really important to me to be a part of because, as a teenager, I suffered from eating disorders," Collins said at the Sundance Film Festival, reports variety.com.

"This is the first time I'm talking about it. This is my moment of talking about it. It's important. It's really important. 

"It's something that a lot of young women go through and there's no shame in it, and this movie is about that -- it's about embracing your past and about realising that it's something that doesn't define who you are, but it's about your experiences, surrounding yourself with people that support you, and about surviving and getting through it," she added.-Agency