Prince Harry's Ex Cressida Bonas Says She Feared Being Labeled an 'It' Girl for Life After Split

"The fear of failing, the fear of rejection, the fear of not getting it right, the fear of not being perfect…I think that has limited me in certain situations in my life," the actress said

Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas is opening up about finding the confidence to go after her ambitions as an actress and how she feared being branded an "it" girl following her royal breakup.

Bonas, who dated Harry from 2012 to 2014 after being introduced by his cousin Princess Eugenie, said that self-doubt held her back in the past.

"The fear of failing, the fear of rejection, the fear of not getting it right, the fear of not being perfect…I think that has limited me in certain situations in my life," Bonas told the Daily Telegraph.

"I think I have grown confident and fortunately I have learnt not to sweat the small stuff too much," she added. "And I just think it has definitely given me a stronger sense of purpose and a stronger sense of what I want or don’t want."

Prince Harry; Cressida Bonas. Samir Hussein/WireImage; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

The 31-year-old actress, who is promoting her new show, White House Farm, said that she was worried she would always be dubbed an "it" girl due to her time in the royal spotlight.

“I think terms like that are very narrow-minded. I think that I work very, very hard, I love what I do, and I just hope that this role has shown people what I can do and what I would like to do going forward and not be caught in a box in any way," she said.

Cressida Bonas and Prince Harry in 2014. Karwai Tang/WireImage

Bonas, who is engaged to Harry Wentworth-Stanley, and Prince Harry's breakup was "amicable," a source told PEOPLE at the time. She was even a guest at his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle, along with his other ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.

Bonas's plans to wed have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Unfortunately it has [been delayed]," she said. "We are not quite sure what our next move is, but we will have to be postponing the wedding.”

Cressida Bonas at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding. Ian West - WPA Pool/Getty

Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, announced earlier this year that they would be stepping back from their roles as working royals. They've since relocated to Los Angeles, Meghan's hometown, with 1-year-old son Archie.

In April, the couple said they were cutting ties with four U.K. tabloids, announcing "there will be no corroboration and zero engagement" with The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Express.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know — as well as complete strangers — have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue," the couple said in the letter to editors. "With that said, please note that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be engaging with your outlet. There will be no corroboration and zero engagement. This is also a policy being instated for their communications team, in order to protect that team from the side of the industry that readers never see."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

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The letter came as the first hearing in Meghan's legal case against Associated Newspapers — publisher of the Mail on Sunday — headed to the U.K. courts. The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday for publishing extracts of a "private and confidential" letter sent to her dad in August 2018 — three months after her wedding to Prince Harry.