Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay had eating disorder

Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay has confessed she has had an eating disorder since she was 14-years-old.

The 27-year-old played Lady Sybil Crawley in the critically acclaimed period drama, and said she hoped talking about the condition could help others.

"I'm doing Hamlet at the moment and it explores a lot about mental health," she told the Daily Telegraph.

Findlay, who also starred alongside Colin Farrel in A Winter's Tale, is now shooting a new TV drama titled Harlots, about 18th century sex workers.

She is also playing Ophelia alongside Andrew Scott, in a new production of Hamlet, at the Almeida Theatre.

The actress said she decided to be more open about her mental health after undergoing therapy, and learning to distance her talent from her body image.

"I'm not going to be a better actor if I'm a dress size smaller," she said.

"The more we have brave discussions, the easier it is to talk about things, and the less alone we can feel. It's certainly made me feel less alone," she added.

Findlay said she has had the disorder since she was 14-years-old, when she had wrong ideas about beauty.

"We can feed certain ideas of what beauty is and what success is and I just feel there has to come a time where those aren't the rules any more," she explained.

"And then we can have a mature conversation about what that is about, and about depression."