Selena Gomez opened up about being diagnosed with lupus in 2014 during her new episode on hit Apple TV+ series Dear.
The singer share details on how scary the time was, after doctors informed her that she could have had a stroke on stage or died – despite feeling fit and healthy.
Following the diagnosis, being on different medication for the disease caused her weight to fluctuate more – which sparked a wave of backlash.
Speaking on the body shaming that she faced, Selena admitted that she would be ‘crying her eyes out’ over the hate.
Despite saying at the time that the shaming didn’t affect her, the star now reveals that she ‘lied’ so that other people don’t feel the same hurt.
‘I could have had a stroke on stage’: Selena Gomez, 30, detailed her tough lupus diagnosis in an episode of Apple TV’s Dear…
Selena shares her story on a new episode of ‘Dear…’, which features a range of figures and acclaimed leaders sharing their story as they recieve letters from people whose lives they have touched.
She looked back to her 2014 diagnosis of lupus, a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs.
Sharing that she didn’t feel any symptoms, the singer explained: ‘It was just my body fighting itself on the inside. That was the most surreal part, because I never felt fatigue; I was young, I felt completely fine.
‘So hearing from a doctor, ‘You could have had a stroke onstage, you could have died’ — it was a lot. But I didn’t allow it to sink in; I didn’t want to process it.’
Selena had a life-saving kidney transplant in 2017, with best friend Francia Raisa donating her kidney.
She was then put on certain medications, which caused fluctuations in her weight – and sparked body shaming.
She continued: ‘My weight would constantly fluctuate because I would be on certain medications. And obviously, people just ran with it. It was like they couldn’t wait to find a thing to bring me down. I was being shamed for gaining weight because of my lupus.’
Admitting that she lied about dealing with the shame, Selena shared that she would deflect her feelings to protect others who were also being body-shamed..
Unkowing: The singer share details on how scary the time was, after doctors informed her that she could have had a stroke on stage or died – despite feeling fit and healthy
Backlash: Speaking on the body shaming that she faced, Selena admitted that she would be ‘crying her eyes out’ over the hate
Remember when: Selena had a life-saving kidney transplant in 2017, with best friend Francia Raisa donating her kidney
When posting about her body online, she would tell fans that the negativity didn’t matter and wasn’t welcome.
But in reality, she shared: ‘I lied. I would go online and I would post a picture of myself and say [the negative comments] don’t matter, I’m not accepting what you’re saying — all the while being in the room posting that, crying my eyes out, because nobody deserves to hear those things.’
‘I was posting these things saying it doesn’t bother me because I didn’t want it to bother other people who are experiencing the same thing — getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love.
‘I just think it’s so unfair; I don’t think that anybody deserves to feel less than,’ she added..
Shamed: ‘I was posting these things saying it doesn’t bother me because I didn’t want it to bother other people who are experiencing the same thing — getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love’
