'Riverdale' Star Camila Mendes Opens Up About Body Image Struggles

Camila Mendes rose to fame thanks to her role as the iconic Veronica Lodge on the CW show, “Riverdale.” The actress has since gone on to star in films such as “Do Revenge,” “The Perfect Date,” and “Dangerous Lies.”

But during season one of "Riverdale," the 28-year-old admitted to struggling with an eating disorder.

Camila Mendes recently went onto the Going Mental podcast where she revealed her ongoing struggle with body image issues.

The 28-year-old said she has dealt with body image issues since her childhood, but after season one of "Riverdale" debuted, her struggles really took over, leading to an eating disorder.

"I would watch every episode and be like, 'Oh my God, my stomach there…' " she told host Eileen Kelly in regard to watching back season one of "Riverdale". "I was, like, so insecure, and it really fueled my eating disorder."

"When you're in your early 20s, like, your body is fluctuating...my body hadn't settled into itself yet," she continued to say. "I was looking at myself, taking myself apart. My stomach, you know, my arms, my chin, anything — I would obsess over."

Mendes said that the struggles she faced took over so much that it even interfered with her work. "It kind of got in the way of my acting because when I was acting on camera … it really f---s with your process," she added.

The 28-year-old went on to say she eventually sought help from a nutritionist to help her get over her fear of food, specifically carbs.

"I was really afraid of eating carbs," she continued, "and what would happen is I would avoid it for a long period of time, and then I would binge and eat a bunch and then purge. So it was this, like, terrible cycle. She helped me overcome that by reintroducing bread into my life to be like, 'See, it's not going to kill you.' "

After seven seasons, "Riverdale" is coming to an end.

“Everyone’s always like, yeah, ‘Free the Riverdale actors’ or whatever, but I think ultimately, we’re all going to be sad when it’s over," Camila Mendes said in regards to the beloved show ending.

“Any sort of creative artist seeks new challenges, and there’s a point in time when something ceases to be challenging. I think everyone’s just ready for that next chapter. It’s like we’re outgrowing the show in a way,” Mendes continued.

“Riverdale” has been airing on CW since 2017. The show is based on the Archie Comics series and stars KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz, Casey Cott as Kevin Keller, and Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy.

The seventh and final season of “Riverdale” is expected to air in 2023 on CW. Seasons one through six are currently streaming on Netflix.