Selena Gomez Reveals She Underwent Chemotherapy for Lupus: 'I Could've Had a Stroke'
Selena Gomez (Getty Images)
She’s setting the record straight! Selena Gomez made a major reveal in a recent interview with Billboard magazine, finally divulging what her long time away from the spotlight was all about.
“I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy,” the Revival singer told the magazine for its Oct. 17 issue. “That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke.”
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The 23-year-old songstress added that though rumors were swirling around as to why she was taking a temporary low profile over the past few months, she had to bite her tongue.
“I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a–holes,’” she said of fending off rumors that she was suffering from addiction. “I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”
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Gomez, who in June told radio host Elvis Duran that she doesn’t trust anyone, added that she feels like she’s under constant scrutiny no matter what she does.
“I’m so f—king nice to everybody, and everyone is so vile to me,” she said. “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.”
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But, she admitted, “The hate motivated me.”
Among the people she does feel she can trust within the entertainment industry, however, is longtime bestie Taylor Swift.
“Taylor makes me feel empowered, like I can trust new people,” she said, adding that Swift’s notorious Squad is “so dope.” “We ran around taking pictures, changing dresses, dancing — super-cliche girly stuff, but it rocked. The way she cares about women is so adamant. It’s pulling me out of my shell.”
Asked if her own career turnaround is linked to her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber’s recent pledge to take charge of his life, the “Good For You” singer is quick to say that it is not.
“No. This is my time. I’ve deserved this,” she said. “I earned it. This is all me.”
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