Frankel was "obsessed" with dieting

Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel has admitted that she was consumed by dieting for much of her life.

Frankel told Us magazine that her battle with weight started when she was sent to an obesity clinic at the age of 8 by her mother.

"I spent my entire life being obsessed with dieting," she said.

The star further explained that she experimented with "5,000 diets", which eventually caused severe physical damage.

"[I was] bingeing and then fasting or starving. Forbidding everything," she remarked. "That's how I used to be: up and down five pounds every single day, to the extremes. My metabolism was totally wrecked."

Frankel insists that in recent years she has learned to take a more relaxed approach to dieting and has even shared her strategies in a series of weight loss books.

She recently competed on ABC's Skating With The Stars, where she finished as runner-up to winner Rebecca Budig.