Cole Sprouse has finally opened up about his split from Lili Reinhart.
The pair met on set of Netflix’s Riverdale, on which they played onscreen couple Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones.
They dated for three years, but ultimately called it quits in March 2020.
In a teaser for his appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Cole is seen talking about he navigated a breakup with someone that he worked with on Riverdale.
The Disney Channel alum admitted it was “really hard”, seeing as they still worked together on the hit Netflix show.
“Oh, it was really hard. It was really hard for both of us, and that’s ok.”
“I think the work thing got difficult because it was hard to suspend the way we felt about each other, and it didn’t afford us the luxury of distance to really overcome that.”
Cole continued: “I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other. We’re good friends now – which is awesome – we work really well together now, but I think that was exactly where we both needed to be.”
“We were in a foreign city, working a very intense schedule – 14 hours a day, often times 6 days a week, alone, and we really leaned on each other while also going through the elected trauma of this incredible overnight success, a tonne of criticism, a tonne of expectation, and I think we did the best we could.”
“Really. I really do think we did, and I’m very grateful in very many ways that I was able to go through it with someone who was going through the exact same set of circumstances as me.”
“But also in very many ways, all the clichés about dating someone you work with are very true.”
When asked whether their work situation prolonged the length of their relationship, Cole admitted: “There was a lot of pressure, towards other people really.”
“I think if I had loved myself a little more I probably would have left a little earlier but I just felt like I had to take care of a lot of people around me, which was not good for me.”
“I probably should have exercised a bit more selfishness in that situation. I also think the complicated thing was that I was so private, I’m private with all of my relationships – I’m private with my current relationship – in very many ways that we didn’t make a big deal when we split.”
“Afterwards, I was photographed as a single man dating other women and I think it caused people to think there was something dubious going on and I took a moral stance that I was never going to talk about it, it didn’t need to be said. But I realise now in hindsight that I probably should’ve said something almost right away.”
When asked about why he remained silent during rumours he had cheated, Cole said: “Because I didn’t think the public needed to be afforded the luxury of my own heartbreak and the hell that was, but I’m realising that that grey area created a lot of rumour and gossip that would end up affecting me and my mental health quite a bit afterwards.”
“In an inverse way, the silence and mystery of that grey area created a fertile petri dish of bullshit that was my own mistake.”
Speaking about the reason behind their split, the Riverdale actor said: “I won’t go into that too much, but I will say it was mutual.”
When prompted that it couldn’t have been mutual, and someone had to have initiated the split, Cole said: “I left, but to be honest, when you’re in a relationship that long and someone leaves, it’s not a surprise.”
“It was time and I think in very many ways it gave us the space because we got locked down [because of the Covid-19 pandemic]” the 30-year-old continued.
Cole announced his split from Lili in August 2020, writing: “Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March.”
“What an incredible experience I had, I’ll always feel lucky and cherish that I had the chance to fall in love.”
“I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness moving forward. All I’ll say about it, anything else you hear doesn’t matter,” Cole continued at the time. “Also her movie comes out soon! I’m sure she’s just as incredible in it as everything else she does. Thanks guys ❤️.”
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