Warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders which some readers may find distressing.
Lili Reinhart has revealed the sad reason why she can’t watch one particular season of Riverdale.
The 28-year-old actress, best known for playing Betty Cooper on the hit Netflix series, bravely opened up about the struggles she faced when filming the show.
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Reinhart admitted that, at times, her mental health got so bad that she would 'disassociate' entire days at a time.
In an interview with Self which was published last week (22 January), Reinhart discussed her physical health, explaining the symptoms she faced after coming down with a 'bad' case of COVID-19.
"Post-COVID, my fatigue was getting extreme," she shared, revealing that her doctor grew concerned. "She was like, 'Your chronic fatigue is suspicious, and you’re sleeping for 13 hours on the weekend when you can and taking naps. This isn’t normal'."
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Reinhart, who has tested positive for COVID three times in total, revealed that her symptoms got more and more severe each time - along with her fatigue.
She revealed she's had 'vials and vials' of blood taken from her over the years in a hopes to figure out what was causing it.
Then, just a few months into filming the sixth season of Riverdale in 2022, Reinhart was faced with new, unexplained gut issues and weight gain leading to her getting tested for Celiac disease and Crohn’s disease.
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"I’ve done all of them," she declared. "And my gut’s still like, ‘Hey, b*tch, you got something. You just can’t figure out what it is'."
She also opened up about the reason why she 'doesn't like looking' at old photos of herself from one particular season of Riverdale.
"I really don’t like looking at season six imagery or pictures, because I know that 99 percent of my thoughts were about my body," she shared.
"I was a thousand percent just disassociated through that entire day or scene because my entire inner dialogue is just … 'Your body’s changing'."
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A few years back in 2022, Reinhart candidly opened up about her mental health on her Instagram story.
She shared at the time: "I’ve been struggling with obsessive thoughts about my body/weight the last few months and it’s gotten pretty severe in the last week.
"So I want to take a moment to be vulnerable and share this in the hope that any of you who are also struggling don’t feel so alone."
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She continued: "I’m here with you. It’s challenging to look at your body with love instead of criticism. It’s a practice I’m still learning. I didn’t think being in this industry, that is so obsessed with women’s bodies and weights, could ever mess with my own body acceptance and positivity. But it has.
"I wish I hadn’t grown up in a time where the media worshipped only one size of women. … I know I’m not alone in this toxic way of thinking about my body. And it’s heartbreaking that this feeling is understood by so many of us.
"Let’s continue to talk about it. Normalise it. Empathise with others. Show compassion and kindness."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, call the BEAT Eating Disorders helpline on 0808 801 0677. Helplines are open 3pm-8pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can try the one-to-one webchat.
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Mental Health, Netflix, Riverdale, TV And Film
Rhiannon Ingle