Demi Lovato appeared on Katie Couric's new show Monday to share her story of hope and recovery. During the interview, Katie opened up about her own past struggles.

After the taping, Katie Couric admitted that she was nervous about revealing her personal experience, telling the Associated Press that she "kind of hesitated to even bring it up. But I felt that if I expect people on my show to be honest, then, when relevant, I owe it to people watching to be honest myself."

She said that being turned down by her first choice college was a big trigger for her bulimia. Her insecurities and perfectionism quickly manifested as disordered eating. “Like a lot of young women, I was struggling with my body image,” she said, “and feeling like I wasn’t good enough or attractive enough or thin enough.” She said she dealt with bulimia all through college and two years beyond that, eventually getting help from a therapist and developing a healthy relationship with food and her body. 

Demi, who has been very public about her eating disorder recovery, was candid about how scared she was in the early days of treatment. But she said the treatment center's strict rules (no razor blades meant "a lot of fuzzy legs walking around that place!") helped her realize how sick she was and, eventually, how much she wanted to get better. She offered this very solid piece of advice to anyone who is struggling:

The Katie Show website has other clips from the show as well as some online exclusives that explore how disordered eating affects people of all ages and ethnicities, and how parents can have a powerful impact on their children's eating habits and body image.

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