The Ciara Phelan Podcast: Ireland AM presenter Katja Mia on faith and body dysmorphia

“It’s something I’ll have to train myself to overcome because you look in the mirror and you see all the bad things, all the faults and I’m someone who is quite positive so the fact I can look in the mirror and say those bad things about myself is alarming for myself,” she said.

She recalls trying “fad diets” as young as 14 years old, saying certain diets were “wild".

“It really did consume my mind a lot... I masked it by trying these fad diets,” she added.

However, the television presenter and model said she had dedicated time “to recover” and was “still on that journey". She said although there are a lot of negatives with social media, it has been a “blessing” for her because she has been able to find content creators that look different to what is glorified in the media.

Ms Mia was signed with one of Ireland’s top modelling agencies in recent years, which she said took her on a journey of self-love, confidence and reassurance of herself.

She also opened up about her childhood and how her parents fled a civil war in Burundi in East Africa and moved to Germany and later Dublin.

She said her parents gave her the support to quit a career in the financial sector and work in entertainment and media. She told how many immigrants feel an expectation and pressure to have certain careers.

“A lot of people that have parents that have gone through certain hardships, civil wars and immigration, you do learn a lot about resilience and that carries on to your work ethic and my work ethic,” she said.

• You can listen to The Ciara Phelan Podcast with Katja Mia on streaming services now.