Shawn Mendes opened up about the pressure he was under to have a perfect body, which led him to sacrifice sleep so he could wake up early and exercise.
"Some days I would have three hours of sleep, [because] I'd get up two hours early just to be able to work out," the 22-year-old singer told British GQ in a new interview.
Mendes said the constant need to be the "pinnacle of fitness" negatively affected him, and he'd think to himself, "If you don't work out, you're going to lose fans."
The "Wonder" singer, who rose to fame as an internet personality on the now-defunct app Vine, also said that his 2019 Calvin Klein campaign exacerbated his concern.
He credited meditating, journaling, and girlfriend Camila Cabello with helping him to come to terms with his physique.
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello in November 2019. Steve Granitz/WireImage
Regarding Cabello, Mendes said that her classy and "empathetic" reaction to public scrutiny about her own body "really changed my view of mine. It really changed my life."
"Taking that extra few hours of sleep, instead of waking up to pump iron, is a better choice sometimes," the singer said.
Mendes also previously discussed his diet and exercise routine in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone.
"I eat tons of carbs," the "Treat You Better" singer said.
"I just work out a lot, dude. I go to the gym every morning, and I'm obsessed with fitness and just staying active. But I'm not the best to talk about when it comes to diet. If there's fries in front of me, I'm definitely not gonna say no."
Link:
Shawn Mendes lost sleep to work out and thought he'd lose fans if not - Insider - INSIDER
