Camila Mendes Gets Candid About Her Eating Disorder During Season One of ‘Riverdale’: “It Was This Terrible Cycle”
During an interview with Cosmopolitan, Camila Mendes opened up about her battle with an eating disorder during the first season of Riverdale. The actress, who plays Veronica Lodge on the CW show, revealed that she was in a “terrible cycle” of starving herself and then overeating. Mendes said that she was able to break the cycle with the help of her therapist and by making her health a priority.
1. Camila Mendes Gets Candid About Her Eating Disorder During Season One of Riverdale
It’s no secret that the first season of Riverdale was pretty intense. Not only did the show deal with some seriously dark themes, but the cast was also dealing with some personal demons of their own.
One of the biggest bombshells to come out of the first season was that Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica Lodge, was dealing with an eating disorder.
In an interview with Refinery29, Mendes opened up about her battle with anorexia and bulimia, and how it began to affect her during the first season of Riverdale.
Mendes said that her eating disorder began to spiral out of control when she started to compare herself to her co-stars.
“I was comparing myself to Lili [Reinhart] and Cole [Sprouse], and thinking, ‘They’re so much thinner than me.’ I started to starve myself to achieve that kind of body,” Mendes said.
Mendes said that she would go days without eating, and when she did eat, she would make herself sick.
“It was this terrible cycle. I knew I had to get help,” Mendes said.
Thankfully, Mendes was able to get the help she needed, and she is now in a much better place.
“I’m in a much better place now. I’ve been working with a therapist and I’m on medication,” Mendes said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please call the National Eating Disorder Association hotline at 1-800-931-2237.
2. It Was This Terrible Cycle
When Camila Mendes was cast as Veronica Lodge on The CW’s Riverdale, she was excited to take on the challenge of playing a complex and dynamic character. However, she was also nervous about the pressure to maintain a certain look for the role.
In a recent interview with Health magazine, Mendes opened up about her struggles with an eating disorder during the first season of Riverdale. She revealed that the pressure to look a certain way on camera led her to develop unhealthy eating habits.
“I was restricting myself to the point where I was surviving on, like, 500 calories a day,” Mendes said. “I was working out two hours a day, and I was just not giving my body the energy it needed to sustain itself.”
Mendes said that she eventually realized that she was “miserable” and decided to seek help. With the support of her family and friends, she began to recover and has since been able to maintain a healthy relationship with food.
“Recovery is a lifelong process,” Mendes said. “It’s something that you have to work on every day.”
The actress also spoke about the importance of body positivity and self-love. She urged people to be kind to themselves and to accept their bodies as they are.
“Your body is not your enemy,” Mendes said. “It’s the vessel that carries you through life. It’s the vessel that allows you to do the things you love. It should be treated with love and respect.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please seek help from a professional.
3. I Would Binge and then I Would Starve Myself
It’s no secret that Camila Mendes has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder in the past. In fact, the Riverdale star has been vocal about her battle with anorexia and bulimia since she was a teenager.
Now, in a new interview, Mendes is getting candid about her experience with disordered eating during the first season of Riverdale.
Speaking to Women’s Health, Mendes revealed that her eating disorder was triggered by the pressure she felt to lose weight for her role as Veronica Lodge on the CW show.
“I was under so much pressure to lose weight that I started starving myself,” Mendes said. “It was this terrible cycle: I would go a week or two not eating, and then I’d binge and eat everything in sight.”
Mendes added that her eating disorder became so severe that she started to miss days of filming.
“My body was shutting down,” she said. “I was exhausted all the time. My hair was falling out. It was scary.”
Thankfully, Mendes was able to get the help she needed and has been in recovery for the past few years. These days, the actress is focusing on her mental and physical health, and is in a much better place.
“I’ve learned to love my body,” Mendes said. “I work out four to five times a week, not to lose weight but to stay healthy and clearheaded. I eat whatever I want—within reason. It’s all about balance.”
Mendes’s candid interview is a reminder that eating disorders are serious and often hidden illnesses. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please seek help from a professional.
4. I Was Constantly Tired and My Hair Was Falling Out
As a teenager, Camila Mendes struggled with an eating disorder that left her feeling exhausted and caused her hair to fall out. The Riverdale star opened up about her battle with bulimia in a new interview, revealing that she began struggling with the eating disorder when she was just 15 years old.
Mendes, who plays Veronica Lodge on The CW’s hit show Riverdale, told Women’s Health that she would often skip meals and then make herself throw up after eating. The actress said she was “obsessed” with being thin and would look in the mirror and see “this chubby girl.”
“It was this terrible cycle,” Mendes said. “I’d skip meals during the day, I’d go to an audition, and then I’d stuff my face afterwards because I was so famished. And then I’d feel guilty, so I’d make myself throw up.”
The 24-year-old said her eating disorder took a toll on her body, leaving her feeling constantly tired and causing her hair to fall out. She eventually sought treatment and has been in recovery for the past six years.
“It was such a gradual process,” Mendes said of her recovery. “I started seeing a therapist, and she started helping me understand why I was making myself so sick. That’s when I began my journey of healing.”
Now, Mendes is using her platform to help others who may be struggling with eating disorders. The actress has been open about her battle in the past, and she hopes that by talking about it, she can help others who are going through the same thing.
“Eating disorders are not a choice,” Mendes said. “They’re a serious mental illness, and I want people to know that there is help out there. There is a way out.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please reach out for help. The National Eating Disorders Association has a 24/7 helpline at 1-800-931-2237, or you can text “NEDA” to 741741 to receive
5. I Knew I Needed Help When I Started Losing My Period
It’s no secret that Riverdale star Camila Mendes has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder in the past. In a recent interview, Mendes got candid about how her battle with anorexia began during the first season of Riverdale.
Mendes revealed that her eating disorder started around the time she was cast as Veronica Lodge on Riverdale. At the time, Mendes was in her early 20s and was trying to navigate her new found fame.
“I was 22 when I started Riverdale and the show became really successful really quickly,” Mendes said. “I think the attention that came with the show, and the pace of life, and the sudden change in lifestyle, I think all of that contributed to my eating disorder.”
Mendes explained that her eating disorder was a result of her wanting to control something in her life.
“I was trying to control something that I felt was spiraling out of control,” Mendes said. “It was this terrible cycle. I would starve myself for a week and then I would binge and then I would purge, and I would starve myself again. And it was just this horrible, horrible cycle that I could not break out of.”
Fortunately, Mendes was able to seek treatment and recover from her eating disorder. In the interview, Mendes credited her friends and family for helping her through her recovery.
“I’m so grateful to my friends and family who were there for me and helped me through that,” Mendes said. “It was a really tough time in my life, but I’m grateful that I was able to get through it.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please seek help from a professional.
6. I’m So Much Healthier Now and I’m So Much Happier
Hello everyone,
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog post and I thought I’d start off the year with an update on my health and happiness. As some of you may know, I struggled with an eating disorder during the first season of Riverdale. It was a tough time for me and I’m so grateful to have had the support of my family and friends.
I’m happy to say that I’m in a much better place now and I’m so much healthier and happier. I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’m now able to make better choices for my health. I’m also more aware of my triggers and how to deal with them in a healthy way.
I hope this update finds you all well and I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!
7. I’m Not Going to Let My Eating
When Camila Mendes was cast as Veronica Lodge on The CW’s Archie comics adaptation Riverdale, she was tasked with playing a character who is unapologetically herself. That meant that Mendes, who has spoken openly about her struggles with an eating disorder in the past, had to get comfortable with her own body—and fast.
In a new interview with Health, Mendes opens up about how her eating disorder manifested on set during Riverdale’s first season and how she’s since learned to cope with it.
Mendes says her eating disorder first started when she was in high school and that it was something she “constantly battled.” But when she got to college, Mendes says she started to get a handle on her disorder. That all changed, however, when she was cast on Riverdale.
“When I started filming Riverdale, all of that went out the window,” Mendes says. “The stress of being on camera and having to maintain this appearance—it brought everything rushing back.”
Mendes says she became “obsessive” about her diet and exercise, and that she would often skip meals or work out to the point of exhaustion. It was a “terrible cycle,” she says, that left her feeling “miserable.”
Fortunately, Mendes had a support system in her Riverdale costars. Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper on the show, has also been open about her struggles with body image and disordered eating, and Mendes says she leaned on Reinhart for guidance.
“It was nice to have somebody on set who understood what I was going through,” Mendes says. “We’d talk about it and give each other tips—she’d be like, ‘You don’t have to do this, you don’t have to starve yourself.’”
Now, Mendes says she’s in a much better place when it comes to her relationship with food. She’s learned to listen to