Mummy Diaries EXCLUSIVE: Sam Faiers reveals boyfriend Paul Knightley now STRAPS her fingers together to help her combat trichotillomania
Last season saw her seek treatment for trichotillomania, informally known as compulsive eyelash-pulling.
And in this week’s episode of Mummy Diaries, Sam Faiers, 29, reveals that her boyfriend Paul Knightley has started strapping her fingers together with medical tape in a bid to help her stop picking out her eyelashes while asleep.
In a clip obtained exclusively by MailOnline, the former TOWIE star also reveals that her eyelashes have begun to grown back and she’s planning to hold an ‘eyelash party’ to celebrate once she feels confident enough to show off her natural lashes.
Drastic measures! In this week’s Mummy Diaries, Sam Faiers, 29, reveals her boyfriend Paul Knightley has started strapping her fingers together with tape to help her trichotillomania
While sat with her sister Billie, 30, her mum Sue and pal Luisa Zissman, Luisa asked her: ‘Do you get eye infections then, because you don’t have any lashes?’
‘Not now, because my hands are always clean. When I was little, you play in dirt, d’ya know what I mean? you’re at school,’ explained Sam.
‘So how’s it all going now, what’s the latest?’ asked sister Billie.
‘She just went to me: You’ve got some eyelashes!’ gushed Sam, referring to her make-up artist.
Trying new things: ‘Paul strapped my fingers together the other night with medical tape, and he done it too tight and my whole hand was pulsating, so I had to take it off’
‘Oh are they growing?’ asked Luisa.
Speaking to camera, Sam explained: ‘I’m actually really pleased with how far I’ve come, because my eyelashes are starting to grow back.’
The mother-of-two told her sister, mum and Louisa: ‘In the day I’m so conscious now, it’s just sleep. I watched the night cam and I’m literally picking my eyelashes all night.
‘Paul strapped my fingers together the other night with medical tape, and he done it too tight and my whole hand was pulsating, so I had to take it off.
‘And he went “I knew you’d wake up in the morning and it’d be off” and I said; “No I had to take it off, Paul, it was too tight!” The end of my fingers were throbbing.’
‘I am so determined to grow an eyelash party and I want every mascara. I wanna give giftbags with mascaras.
‘No fake eyelashes for this party, because I’m going to be showing off my actual own real eyelashes! That is the end goal.’
The new series of Sam and Billie: The Mummy Diaries continues on Wednesday at 9pm on ITVBe.
Party time! Sam also reveals that her eyelashes have begun to grown back and she’s planning to hold an ‘eyelash party’ to celebrate once she feels able to show off her natural lashes
Sam’s condition was first triggered during her childhood when her stepfather Dave was sent to prison.
She has previously explained that she first started to pull out her eyelashes when a friend told her ‘if you pull out your eyelashes your wishes will come true’, leading to her wishing for her stepdad to come home from prison.
The TOWIE star revealed last year that she decided to seek treatment for her eyelash-pulling when her daughter Rosie, 2, started copying her.
Sam admitted that when she would breastfeed Rosie when she was 14 months old, she would pull her eyelashes and noticed her daughter would rub her eyes because she was copying her.
The reality star said that moment was a red flag for her and that’s when she knew she needed to get help.