Does Charlie have an eating disorder in Heartstopper Season 2?

The second chapter of Heartstopper, Netflix’s hit coming-of-age series, has arrived, and it deals with some heavy topics – but does Charlie have an eating disorder in Season 2?

Season 2 of Heartstopper sees the return of Charlie, Nick, and their Truman/Higgs gang as they explore the trials and tribulations of coming-of-age, mental health, bullying, and the complexities of young love. 

Based on Alice Oseman’s webcomics of the same name, the Netflix show delivers authentic LGBTQ+ representation and stays true to the source material, utilizing charming animation to bring the pages to life on screen. 

While much of Season 1 focused on Charlie and Nick’s relationship as the latter came to terms with his sexuality, the second chapter deals with more complex topics, including the mental health of its core characters – and that includes Charlie. Warning: Spoilers for Heartstopper Season 2 and some may find this content distressing. 

Does Charlie have an eating disorder in Heartstopper Season 2?

Although it’s not explicitly stated that Charlie has an eating disorder and he is not formally diagnosed, his issue with food is a key theme that arises in Season 2 of Heartstopper as he struggles with the homophobic bullying he endured the year prior. 

At the start of the season, Charlie does everything he can to support Nick on his coming out journey, using his catchphrase: “I want everything to be perfect.” He expresses to his sister Tori that he wants to do everything in his power to make sure Nick doesn’t have to go through what he did when he was outed. 

However, the burden takes its toll on Charlie, especially when Nick’s homophobic brother comes home and opens up old wounds. On top of this, exams are looming, piling on the pressure even more so.

When Charlie, Nick, and their group head on a school trip to Paris, we really start to see the full extent of Charlie’s food restriction. While out in a group, Nick hands him an ice cream. Turning it down, he says, “Oh, I’m still full from breakfast,” to which Nick replies: “Charlie, you didn’t eat that much breakfast.”

In Episode 5, while at the Louvre Museum, Charlie begins to feel faint before falling to the floor. After a check from the supervising teachers Mr Ajayi and Mr Farouk, Nick gives Charlie some food and they speak about the situation.

“You don’t really eat a lot, generally,” says Nick. “I don’t know, it kind of feels like it’s gotten worse lately.” After doing the Charlie classic and saying “sorry,” Nick reminds him that he just wants to understand as he cares about him. 

“I know I don’t eat like normal people,” Charlie explains. “Some days I’m fine but other days I feel like I need to control it. I used to do it a lot last year when everything at school was really bad. Sometimes it feels like the only thing I can control in my life.”

Nick is reassuring and says he just wants to be there for him, and Charlie agrees to eat the croissant he bought him and let him know if he’s feeling overwhelmed. 

All seems well until Episode 7, when Charlie’s family visits Nick’s home for dinner – and his homophobic brother pipes up, causing a rift between the guests. When they leave, Nick notices Charlie didn’t touch his dinner and looks up “eating disorders” online. 

They don’t talk about it again until the finale when Charlie opens up to Nick about the bullying he’d experienced and the impact it has on him, bravely admitting that he used to cut himself. 

He says he doesn’t want to feel that way anymore, but he also doesn’t want to “burden” anyone with his problems and hates the idea of Nick seeing him as a “fragile mess” who needs “fixing.”

But Nick reminds Charlie that he’s been there for him throughout his entire coming out journey, and Charlie agrees to tell him when he’s struggling. No doubt this storyline will continue in Heartstopper Season 3. 

Heartstopper Seasons 1 & 2 are available to stream on Netflix now. You can check out the full cast here, the ending explained here, and some of our other Netflix hubs below: 

The Night Agent Season 2 | The Gentlemen | Sex Education Season 4 | Beef Season 2 | Monster Season 2 | Will there be Ginny and Georgia Season 3? | All the Light We Cannot See | Stranger Things Season 5 | The Witcher Season 3 | Chicken Run 2 | Heartstopper Season 2 | Florida Man Season 2 | Obsession Season 2 | The Sandman Season 2