Cole Sprouse reflects on 'really hard' breakup from co-star Lili Reinhart

Cole Sprouse has opened up about his relationship with Riverdale co-star Lili Reinhart, saying that their breakup in 2020 was 'really hard'.

Getting his early jobs in acting alongside twin brother Dylan on Friends and Big Daddy, Cole then got one of the leading roles in the Disney show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Since then he landed a role as Jughead in the Riverdale show, and ended up in an off-screen romance with co-star Reinhart.

They split up in 2020 after dating for about three years, with Sprouse saying the relationship had been an 'incredible experience' and that he'd 'cherish that I had the chance to fall in love'.

Despite splitting up, Sprouse and Reinhart have continued to be co-stars on Riverdale as Cole said they are still 'good friends'.

Call Her Daddy

Speaking about their relationship on the Call Her Daddy podcast, the actor said it was 'really hard for the both of us' after they broke up but continued to work together.

He said: "The work thing got difficult because it was hard to suspend all of the way we felt about each other, and it didn't afford us the luxury of distance to overcome that.

"I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other. It absolutely lasted longer because we worked together.

"There was a lot of pressure and I think if I had loved myself more, I would have left earlier."

Summing up the three-year relationship, Sprouse said they 'did the best we could' and revealed the pair 'really leaned on each other while also going through the elected trauma of this incredible overnight success'.

The actor then admitted that he thought one of the reasons they started dating in the first place was because they were working together.

"We were in a foreign city working a very intense schedule. 14 hours a day... six days a week," the actor recalled.

Image Press Agency / Alamy Stock Photo

Elsewhere in the interview, he said that almost all of his ex-girlfriends had cheated on him - his first girlfriend 'physically' and some other partners 'emotionally'.

The actor said he found out about the cheating 'like everyone does', meaning he learned about it via texting.

He admitted that he was 'not the greatest partner either' while saying he was 'no saint' himself, and revealed that because of his fame he felt 'paranoid' when it came to putting his trust in other people.

Sprouse is currently in a relationship with model Ari Fournier, and he says it's very different to his previous experiences.

Getting together with Fournier 'woke me up to what real compatibility and trust looks like in a way that I have never had before', Sprouse said, as he spoke about it as the first relationship where he felt he could have 'real trust'.

The interview also saw the actor mention that his brother Dylan was 'a huge bully' to other kids in school and talk about how all the money he made from Friends and Big Daddy was lost by his mother.