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Camila Cabello Says Her Anxiety Got 'In The Way' Of Relationship With Shawn Mendes

Home / Stars / Camila Cabello Says Her Anxiety Got 'In The Way' Of Relationship With Shawn Mendes

By Alisan Duran on November 22, 2021 at 4:55 PM EST

Camila Cabello gets candid about her mental health struggles!

The singer, 24, talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her mental health during Apple Fitness+'s "Time to Walk" program. She also opened up how her anxiety sabotaged her relationships, such as with her ex-boyfriend Shawn Mendes, 23, and her friends.

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Working Since 15

Camila Cabello seen at the Grammys after party in New York City
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"Before the pandemic, I felt really burnt out," Cabello said, while also explaining that she has been working in the music industry since she was 15, noting that she had "no time off," especially during her Fifth Harmony days.

She continued, "I was barely home. I didn't have time to get to know who I was outside of my career. Pile that onto struggles with mental health, with anxiety, with these toxic levels of stress, it wasn't even a meltdown because I would just work through it."

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The singer also shared that she felt "exhausted in every way and at that point, I felt like I was running a marathon with a broken leg. I kept going, but it was extremely hard. And I wish that I would've just been like, 'Let me just stop for a second and get a nice cast for my broken leg and get some physical therapy.' But I didn't," adding that "COVID stepped in and kind of did it for me."

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Overpowering Anxiety

Camila Cabello wore a yellow dress while out and about in New York City
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Camila Cabello wore a yellow dress while out and about in New York City
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Apart from her singing career, Cabello has also stepped into acting. She was cast as the lead in the 2021 remake of "Cinderella," where she went to the famous Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England.

During the chat, she said that while filming the movie midway, she was sent back to the U.S. due to the pandemic. The "Havana" singer revealed she "would just break down crying once a day at least" after getting back to the set.

"I felt so anxious, cripplingly anxious," Cabello said. "I just felt really unstable, and I just felt a mess because suddenly, this thing that was distracting me, my work and filming, was not there."

She continued, "And so I was just left with my anxiety and my mind," adding that her mental health struggle "was getting in the way of my relationship. It was getting in the way of my friendships, my time at home."

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Her Efforts Paid Off

BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards
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That said, Cabello had to "shift her priority" to her wellness and focus on her own wellbeing. She admitted to going to therapy and trying out other things to help with the issue.

"I definitely asked for help. I asked for time. And I learned a lot of tools," Cabello explained. "I tried a lot of different things, different kinds of therapy, meditation, exercise, changing the way I eat, definitely changing the way I schedule my time and making sure that there's balance, that I have time for friendships and connect with people and I'm not just nose to the grindstone, not paying attention to my body and my needs."

The singer added, "It was pretty life-changing for me just having the first moment, I feel like, since I was 15, to cry, to feel the negative emotions without feeling like I had to bury them and perform in five minutes, to be in the same place for more than two weeks because I hadn't been home for such a long time. It gave me the gift of finding new hobbies and other things that soothe me."

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Recent Heartbreak

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello smiling.
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Cabello recently split with Mendes, although amicably. They even posted matching statements about the breakup on social media.

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