Lexi Jones Details Her Struggle with Anxiety, Bulimia, and Substance Abuse After Being Removed from Home and Separated from David Bowie During His Final Months in the United States

Lexi Jones, daughter of music icon David Bowie and supermodel Iman, has revealed the intense trauma she endured as a teenager after being sent to controversial treatment centres.

At just 14, Lexi was removed from her family home, an experience that left her away from her father during his final battle with liver cancer.

Sharing her story in a candid Instagram video, she detailed the emotional and physical toll of these interventions.

Growing Up in the Spotlight and Early Struggles

Lexi’s childhood was far from ordinary.

The pressures of growing up as the child of two high-profile parents contributed to anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder that began when she was just 12.

She described feeling like she “existed as an idea” rather than a person, constantly weighed down by others’ expectations.

She started therapy before turning ten, after teachers and parents noticed early signs of distress, and recalled her first anxiety attack as a pivotal moment in her young life.

Coping with Addiction Amid Family Crisis

When David Bowie was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2014, Lexi says she reached a breaking point.

She turned to alcohol and drugs, not as a form of experimentation but as a desperate attempt to escape her pain.

“When the party ended for everybody else, I kept going,” she explained.

Her behavior escalated, leading to confrontations and interventions that would profoundly shape her teenage years.

The Trauma of Forced Treatment

Lexi recounted the day two men came to take her to a treatment facility.

Standing over six feet tall, they gave her the choice to comply “the easy way or the hard way.”

She resisted, describing a terrifying ordeal where she was physically removed from her home and forced into a black SUV, alone and unaware of her destination.

She was sent to a wilderness therapy program, spending 91 days outdoors in harsh winter conditions with strict monitoring, limited privacy, and highly controlled routines.

Life in Wilderness and Residential Treatment Centers

Wilderness therapy, controversial in the U.S., combines outdoor survival tasks with counseling for behavioral and emotional issues.

Lexi described making fires, digging makeshift bathrooms, and learning survival skills under strict supervision.

Afterward, she was sent to a residential treatment center in Utah for 13 months, where monitoring continued with strict rules, including being watched while sleeping and counting aloud when using the bathroom.

It was there that she learned of her father’s passing, a moment she described as physically devastating: seeing her family together while she was absent from his final days.

Long-Term Effects and Personal Growth

Despite the trauma, Lexi emphasizes the ways these experiences shaped her emotional awareness.

She credits the intense focus on introspection during her treatments with developing emotional intelligence and resilience, though she acknowledges lingering effects, such as heightened sensitivity to control and rules.

She has turned her experiences into art, releasing her debut album Xandri in April 2025, which she wrote, produced, and performed entirely herself.

Speaking Out for Change

Lexi’s story also contributes to a broader conversation about controversial adolescent treatment programs.

She wants to make visible “the parts of yourself you lose in the process of being fixed” and highlights the abuse, manipulation, and emotional toll many teenagers face in these institutions.

Her openness has drawn support from fans and fellow artists, including Cara Delevingne, who sent messages of love and solidarity.

What’s Next?

Lexi has expressed her commitment to using her voice to advocate for transparency and reform in teen treatment programs.

She continues to focus on music and personal healing, while raising awareness about the lasting impact of forced interventions on young people’s mental health.

Organizations such as CALM provide support for those struggling with emotional and mental health issues, offering resources like the helpline 0800 58 58 58.

Summary

Lexi Jones shared her traumatic journey of being forcibly removed from her family home and sent to wilderness and residential treatment programs, missing her father David Bowie’s final days.

She discussed her early struggles with anxiety, depression, and bulimia, and her turn to substance use as a coping mechanism during her father’s illness.

Despite enduring strict and abusive treatment conditions, she emphasizes the personal growth and emotional intelligence she developed.

Lexi hopes her story sheds light on the often-hidden harms of such treatment facilities, advocating for awareness and change, while continuing her career in music with her debut album Xandri.