Selena Gomez reveals she underwent chemotherapy to treat lupus as she breaks silence on illness and slams gossipmongers who claimed she was in rehab
- The singer, 23, revealed her battle with the autoimmune disease in a candid interview with Billboard
- She cancelled concerts in late 2013 and dropped out of sight prompting speculation she was in rehab
- In reality, she was having chemotherapy and said she wanted to call up 'the a**holes' and tell them: 'You guys have no idea'
- It's not known what causes lupus, in which the body's immune system turns on its own healthy tissues, and symptoms range from mild to life-threatening
Selena Gomez has spoken out for the first time about being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus.
In a candid interview with
Billboard ahead of the Friday release of her second solo studio album Revival, the singer, 23, revealed she has undergone chemotherapy treatment to alleviate the symptoms of lupus.
'That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,' Gomez said of her time spent out of the spotlight after cancelling the Australian and Asian leg of her tour in December 2013.
Bombshell: Selena Gomez has broken her silence and spoken out for the first time about being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus and having chemotherapy treatment to deal with the symptoms
Internet speculation was rife about the reasons she bailed out of the concerts and while some sources claimed at that time she had lupus, others suggested she had issues with addiction.
'I wanted so badly to say, "You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a**holes",' she told Billboard.
'I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again,' she added.
Revival: Selena, 23, posed nude for the cover of her second solo studio album, to be released Friday, and said the songs reflect her journey and her new-found confidence
FACT BOX TITLE
Lupus is a serious and potentially fatal disease that mainly affects young women.
The cause of the disease is unknown but it's believed to be an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly detects its own tissue as foreign and attacks itself. It can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain.
Common symptoms include pain or swelling in joints, muscle pain, fever, chest pain, hair loss. mouth ulcers and extreme fatigue
An estimated 240,000 Americans are diagnosed with lupus.
Information courtesy of the
National Institutes Of Health
Lupus causes the human body to turn on its own healthy tissue because something goes wrong with the immune system preventing it from telling the difference between that and germs and viruses that enter the system from outside.
The disease can cause inflammation, swelling of joints, extreme fatigue, headaches, chest pain and hair loss and can range form mild to chronic and life-threatening.
Selena said being the subject of gossip while she was having treatment was hurtful and it made her angry.
'I'm so f***ing nice to everybody and everyone is so vile to me,' she told Billboard.
'I’ve been working since I was 7. I’ve been a UNICEF ambassador since I was 17. It’s so disappointing that I’ve become a tabloid story,' she said.
'This is my time': The pretty brunette said those who suggested she had cancelled concerts because she was in rehab were 'a**holes' and the hate fueled her determination to come back stronger
Her new album, she hopes, will silence her naysayers.
'The hate motivated me,' she explained. 'This is my time. I’ve deserved this. I earned it. This is all me.'
The songs on the album reflect the journey her life and career have been on over the past two years, Selena has said previously.
It's also a result of her new found confidence.
The lead single from Revival, Good for You, peaking at number five in the Billboard charts, becoming her highest-charting US single to date.
Backlash: After getting comments about how she looked fat in a bikini, Selena said she 'believed some of the words they were saying.' She added: 'That was the first time I’d experienced body shaming like that'
Maturing: She told billboard she is not inspired by the career turnaround embarked upon by former flame Justin Bieber insisting that what she's doing now 'is all me'
Whether it was gossip about her long-running on/off relationship with Justin Bieber or bodyshaming comments she received after posting a shot of herself in a bikini on Instagram, the 23-year-old performer is vowing to be stronger and more tough-skinned in the future.
And while she finds it hard to trust new people, she credited Taylor Swift with helping her believe more in herself and in others.
'Taylor makes me feel empowered,' she said. 'The way she cares about women is so adamant. It’s pulling me out of my shell.'
Besties: Selena is a close friend of Taylor Swift and joined her on stage in Ls Angeles for one of her 1989 Tour concerts. She said the pop superstar helps her 'feel empowered'
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