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Camila Mendes opens up about past eating disorder

Riverdale actress Camila Mendes used to be so obsessed with appearing thin that it left her miserable.

The 23-year-old, who plays Veronica Lodge in the hit teen drama, revealed she had struggled with an eating disorder late last year (17) when she raised awareness for Project HEAL, which aims to break the stigma surrounding them.

She has now gone into more detail about her problem, revealing that she was so obsessed with dieting and being thin that she didn’t have room to enjoy anything else, and has decided to ditch the diet once and for all after chatting with a naturopath.

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“I told her about my anxiety around food and my obsession with dieting,” Camila wrote on Instagram. “She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn’t spend all your time thinking about your diet?

“At some point in my life, I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns. Somehow, I had stripped myself of all the pastimes that brought me joy, and all that was left of me was my anxiety around food. My passion for education, cinema, music, etc. – all the interests that used to occupy my mind – had been eaten away by my desire to be thin, and it made me miserable.”

Camila, promoting the hashtag #donewithdieting, questioned why being thin was seen as more important than being healthy by society and said she was sick of hearing that a skinny physique is the “ideal” body type.

“I’m done believing in the idea that there’s a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort,” she added. “A healthy body is the ideal body type, and that will look different for every person.”

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