Bella Thorne: I'm giving myself some space to breathe

Bang Showbiz on Aug 6, 2026

Published in Women

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Bella Thorne has given herself "some space to breathe and grace" in recent years.

The 28-year-old actress first found fame as a child and has struggled with the pressures of stardom over the years - but Bella is now trying to be more laidback and philosophical in her approach to life.

Asked how she's coped with fame since leaving the Disney Channel, Bella told the Call Her Daddy podcast: "I don't think that I ever had that mental clarity. I've worked a lot on the more recent side.

"I got to a point where I just needed to kind of change things in my life and get better at.

"I was working so much and yet was leaving very little time for the things that I really, really cared about, and so I started to focus on that this year and last year, and then after I made this movie, Color Your Hurt. I put all the heart and soul and then didn't have much left afterwards and had to, you know, really wanted to get into the mental health aspect and the brain aspect and just get better on things and give myself some space to breathe and grace."

In retrospect, Bella now feels she put herself under too much pressure during her younger years.

The Shake It Up star admitted that she particularly struggled while making the transition from childhood to adulthood.

The actress said: "I do remember when I turned 18, and in that 18 to 19 year, I was like, 'I'm free. I'm literally free. I'm walking into this house and no one's asking me when am I gonna be there? When this time or when I'm gonna leave.'"

Meanwhile, Bella previously claimed that fans are drawn to her authentic personality.

The TV star suggested that she's evolved markedly since her Disney days.

She told Forbes: "I feel very authentic.

"If you go on my socials, it's me writing it. I don't have any social media management, whatsoever. So, yeah it's all me. I came from The Channel [Disney] and I was told to be a very different person than I am."