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'Bachelorette' star Peter Kraus reveals past struggle with eating disorder

Kraus, who competed for Rachel Lindsay's love on the most recent season of "The Bachelorette," opened up about hitting "rock bottom" with an eating disorder during his modeling career.
/ Source: TODAY

"Bachelorette" runner-up Peter Kraus is opening up about the eating disorder he once struggled with as a male model.

On Wednesday, Kraus, who competed for "Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay's affection last season, poured his heart out in a candid Instagram post that found him grateful that his fitness education helped him learn to live more healthfully.

"At the age of 20 I had developed an eating disorder while blindly attempting to keep up with the level of fitness of my fellow models and competitors," wrote the Wisconsin-born Kraus, who now works as a personal trainer.

"For two years I struggled in silence, always trying but never knowing how to compete with my counterparts," he wrote.

Peter Kraus and Rachel Lindsay on The Bachelorette
Peter Kraus and Rachel Lindsay in a scene from the most recent season of "The Bachelorette."ABC

Kraus continued, "In the winter of 2007, I hit rock bottom and decided that it was finally time to take charge of my health and fitness and learn how to do things the right way."

Kraus, who retired from his modeling career after nearly a decade, enrolled in the dietetics program at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he graduated with honors. Two years later, he competed in his first Ironman triathlon.

"So, on this #WorkoutWednesday, I say thank you to a career that taught me so much, that while now retired, is still fun to go back to from time to time to do things the RIGHT way," wrote the grateful star. "If it weren’t for hitting 'rock bottom' I never would have had this amazing hill of life to climb back up."

Kraus encouraged fans to embrace life's challenges — and to learn from them.

"Pick your a-- up off the floor and get moving forward and upward again," he wrote. "Some times from the darkest places shines the brightest light."