LILI Reinhart, best known for her portrayal of Betty Cooper in Netflix’s hit series Riverdale, opens up about struggling with an eating disorder and body dysmorphia during the filming of the show’s sixth season.
In a recent interview with Self Magazine, Reinheart, 28, became candid about the pressures she experienced with her body image.
“I really don’t like looking at Season 6 imagery or pictures, because I know that 99% 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.”
She described struggling with a range of mysterious gut issues and unexplainable weight gain. She revealed that she underwent tests for several autoimmune diseases, but doctors were unable to determine the cause.
“I’ve done all of them. And my gut’s still like, ‘Hey, bitch, you got something. You just can’t figure out what it is,’” she added during the interview.
Reinhart, who got her big break at 19, also opened up about the pressures she faced working in Hollywood, as she experienced the intense scrutiny and expectations that came with her rising fame.
“It was really hard to keep up, but I did,” she said, “I didn’t have a choice, and I’ve always just showed up and done my job.”
Although she is an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness over the years, Reinhart was not immune to experiencing depression and other mental health problems. She opened up about her struggles in a speech she gave on White House in 2024.
“That’s the ironic thing that people don’t see. I’m literally in Washington, D.C., at the White House giving a speech on mental health. And then that same night, I am sobbing, in so much discomfort, and feel so defeated,” she admits to Self.
Reinhart has been honest about her mental health battles, such as having body dysmorphia and obsessive-compulsive disorder in the past.
“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,” she said.
