Troian Bellisario, who is frequently recognized for her portrayal of Spencer Hastings in Pretty Little Liars, understands the difficulties teens experience when transitioning into adulthood. Bellisario was born into a priviledged Los Angeles family, and appeared to have an ideal life. The television star attended a private school and names Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as two of her best childhood friends; however, she recently revealed a different picture.

In an interview with Seventeen, the 28-year-old actress recently spoke about her own struggles when confronted with teenage pressures and how she can identify with Spencer. “I relate to Spencer a lot because I grew up in a very wealthy family around a very wealthy group of people. My high school was a private school where you went to an Ivy League. That’s just what was expected of you and nothing less. So I grew up never being okay with a ‘B’ because a ‘B’ was not good enough,” she said.

Thanks @seventeenmag for my first cover and my first cover signing. And thanks to all who braved the… http://t.co/DOeHTfuNr8

— Troian (@SleepintheGardn) January 8, 2014

“I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school. Being a teenager is chaotic because you’re kind of coming into your own, but you’re not an adult; you’re fighting with your parents over responsibilities and freedom. I didn’t know what was right and what was wrong, so I think I created this bizarre system of checks and balances to create order in my world. But it really backfired.” Belisario said before adding, “I was the youngest daughter, the perfect little girl. My school was a very intense college prep school. So it was about wanting to please my father and mother and wanting to be perfect to everybody. I just thought if I ever expressed to [my parents] any sadness or anger or anything that’s going on with me, they would disown me. I kept a lot of it bottled up inside, and it turned into self-destructive behavior.”

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