A former Disney Channel star said, “The kicker for me was when a producer told me that they were going to be bringing on a love interest for me, and that I needed to lose weight because of that; I was barely 100 pounds.”

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Warning: This post mentions drug misuse, sexual assault, and mental health issues.

The continued, "We'll never forget the amazing memories we made as a music group while it lasted, & we're so happy we had the chance to meet & talk to such genuinely sweet and supportive fans like you guys. Thank u soo much to all of you who have ever written us a nice message, sent us well wishes, prayed for us or our mom, or supported us in some way. We are so grateful. We love you❤️."

She also said that she'd "been sober for almost four years now."

She continued, "If I was going to retire [the right way], I should've done it in a press statement — but I did it on Twitter. Real classy! But, you know, I was high, and I was like, 'You know what? I am so over this'. so I just did it. But it was really foolish, and I see that now. I was young and stupid. ... [Afterwards] I just had no purpose in life. I'd been working my whole life, and [now] I was doing nothing. I had a lot of time on my hands, and I would 'wake and bake' and literally be stoned all day long."

She added, "We're in a lot better place. And we do have a lot of things to look forward to. We all love Jake, and we want to be around him. I just want him to be happy."

She continued, "I was very depressed, I was very anxious, I can barely even remember Matilda coming out. I only have vague memories of the premiere, and it was really hard for me. So I think that I definitely became kind of disenchanted with acting, with Hollywood, while, at the same time, it was a crutch for me. It was something where, when it was done, I didn't know what to do with myself."

She felt "horrified" and "embarrassed" after going through puberty during a months-long filming break from Thomas and the Magic Railroad because the director had to explain to her that her "body was changing."

"Eventually I moved to the behind the camera stuff because the thought of being in front of the camera again felt so awful. I didn't want to see myself like that. (Side note: I did love playing 'Woody' I don't regret it and don't want anything to come off like so) that's a whole other topic but, without writing my full story (which I'd love to share with everyone at some point) I've lost a total of 135lbs at this point. I'm proud of what I've done. <——IT TAKES A LOT FOR ME TO SAY THAT, BTW!! I feel with everything happening right now, all the signs were pointing at me opening up to you guys and sharing my story in hopes it might help someone else too. You all have been so kind with your comments and compliments about my look now. You actually maybe don't even know how much it has helped.💛💛 I'd like to return the favor and talk openly and freely in some way about mental health and body issues as it affects so many people. Please let me know what y'all would like? If you’d like to hear more about this/my story. I'm finally willing to be talk, very openly, very frank," he said.

"It didn't matter whether people thought it was an admirable thing to do – in my soul I thought, 'My kiss is not for sale' – it might have been acting, but it was real for me as it was my first or third kiss, so it was confusing for me. I don't know why it's legal for a child to act unless they can sell oranges or whatever legally too. It's a crazy double standard, and that's super weird for me. Now that the #MeToo movement has come forward, people understand more that it's pretty gross and uncomfortable," she said.

During her break, she took several kinds of therapy. 

She continued, "I had some brutal talks with people who made me realize that I had a mask on. I had no idea that I was just this all the time. I went full-blown Hannah Montana. I dyed my hair dark and just was like, 'I'm hiding you.' People didn't recognize me anymore. And I think that was probably healthy for me at the time... I'm healed. I did the work. I think I could handle most of anything that life threw at me at this point."

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here. 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.