Camila Mendes opens up about her struggle with bulimia

16 October 2018, 20:52

By Katie Louise Smith

The Riverdale star revealed that her eating disorder returned when she started working in the industry.

Riverdale's Camila Mendes has always been outspoken when it comes to body positivity and she's never been afraid of sharing and opening up about her own struggles when it comes to body image either.

In her new cover interview with Shape magazine, Camila opened up about her own battle with bulimia and why she thinks it's so important to use her platform to talk about it.

"I've struggled with bulimia," said the 24-year-old actress. "It happened a little bit in high school and again when I was in college. Then it came back when I started working in this industry with fittings all the time and watching myself on camera. I had such an emotional relationship with food and anxiety about everything I put into my body."

Camila admits that she was "so scared of carbs" and wouldn't let herself eat rice and bread. "I was always punishing myself. I was even anxious about healthy food: Did I eat too much of the avocado? Did I have too many fats for one day? I was consumed with the details of what I was eating, and I always felt as if I was doing something wrong."

Bar an IKEA advert, Camila's very first on-screen role was actually in Riverdale - she joined the cast after graduating from NYU and it's heartbreaking to think that she was struggling with her own body image while the show went from strength to strength.

In July, Camila opened up to Nylon and admitted that while she had now started dealing with her eating disorder, she continues to struggle with certain aspects of it.

"I only recently started dealing with my own eating disorder. So, as I was dealing with it, it felt like it was a good opportunity to talk about that, because I’m still in that vulnerable state too," said the 24-year-old actress."It’s not like, ‘Oh, I am so past that phase of my life. I’m so perfect and happy now.’ I’m still struggling and I’m still dealing with all of those things. I might always still struggle.”

Camila's candidness and willingness to talk about such personal and difficult issues is not only important AF, but it's also relatable for so many others in similar situations who may find that self-acceptance is an ongoing process. So carry on, Camila. You're doing amazing, sweetie.