Selena Gomez is breaking her silence. The “Back to You” singer spoke out for the first time about her longtime friend Demi Lovato’s July 24 overdose.
“All I’m saying is, I reached out personally. I didn’t do a public thing. I didn’t want to,” Gomez, 26, told Elle in her October 2018 cover story. “I … I love her. I’ve known her since I was 7. So … it’s … that’s what I’ll say.”
Elle contributor Mickey Rapkin noted that the 13 Reasons Why executive producer got choked up while discussing Lovato’s health. The interview took place just six days after the “Sober” singer, 26, overdosed on drugs at her Hollywood home and was rushed to the hospital.
Gomez and Lovato were costars on Barney & Friends in the early aughts before they both made the move to Disney Channel. They later had a brief falling out, but reunited at the InStyle Awards in October 2017.
“Demi and Selena rekindled recently. They’re cool now,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively at the time. “Demi’s documentary [Simply Complicated] really inspired her to rebuild relationships in her life, and Selena was one of those relationships she wanted to make better. They’re friends again. … There wasn’t one main reason that even broke them apart — a lot of their beef was just them being young girls.”
While this is the first time the “Wolves” songstress has spoken publicly about Lovato’s overdose, she did step out in an inspirational graphic T-shirt that read, “Keep the Faith” one day after the incident.
The Grammy nominee was released from the hospital on August 4 after nearly two weeks. She is now undergoing long-term treatment at a rehabilitation facility.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
