‘I don’t have any mirrors in my house’: Tracey Emin candidly discusses issues with body image

Artist Dame Tracey Emin recently opened up about body confidence and the often challenging relationship she's had with her body in her life.

Speaking to Anita Rani during an appearance on BBC Woman's Hour, Tracey also discussed how her relationship with her body has changed over time, and how she's learning to like it more at the age of 62.

"I've always had a really strange relationship with my body," she shares, adding, "and anybody that knows me really well knows that I can't stand looking at it."

Candidly, the artist continues, "I don't have any mirrors in my house, only for my face. I can't stand looking at my body."

When Anita looks concerned, Tracey explains, "But this is what keeps me on the earth. So even though I might not like the way I appear, actually, at the moment, I rally like the way that I am."

In 2020, Tracey was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer, undergoing major surgery. She didn't think she was going to survive.

Nearly six years later and cancer free, she tells Anita, "Since the cancer, every day is so much better. Every day I feel like life is worth it."

"And now I spend so much more time living for the present, living for the moment. It's making me stronger and better, and I can do so much more because I'm dealing with now."

Speaking to the BBC in depth about her cancer diagnosis, Tracey once said, "When you've had cancer to the level that I had, where you really think you're probably going to die and you're looking at months ahead of you to live."

"And then suddenly everything turns around, it's like being born again and life starts again and all these really amazing things happen."

She gave up drinking and smoking following her diagnosis, poignantly telling The Guardian, "When you think you’ve got six months to live, you really don’t want to have a hangover or forget what happened the night before."

"You need every single moment. You want to be aware and heightened – touch, feel, smell, memory, everything. So the idea of drinking didn’t seem a good idea – and then I stuck to it."

She continues, "It’s not just like I’m a better person because I don’t drink. It’s not as boring as that. Every bit of me feels better. It’s like being born again."

Tracy now has a urostomy bag to collect her urine, after having her bladder removed during cancer surgery. She's determined to be just as open about the bag as she is other elements of her life.

"Lots of people don’t want anyone to know they’ve got a bag," she explains, adding, "But I made my mind up from the beginning, I’ve got to get on with my life, so this is what I’ve got to do."

"The more people who are out about it, the easier it is for us all," she says, concluding, "I am definitely living every day like my last. I love and believe in art so much. It’s my passion. It’s what I live for. Imagine you wake up and you can do what you love doing. It’s so brilliant."