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"I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through
chemotherapy," Gomez, 23, told Billboard magazine. "That’s what
my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke," she said.
Gomez canceled concerts in Russia and Australia saying at the
time that she needed "to spend some time on myself."
The move, followed by a stint at an Arizona rehabilitation
facility, generated tabloid rumors of struggles with pills,
alcohol, or even difficulties over her breakup with pop star
Justin Bieber, which Gomez told Billboard angered her.
"I wanted so badly to say, 'You guys have no idea. I’m in
chemotherapy," she told the magazine in its new issue which was
out on Thursday.
"But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It's awful
walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you,
knowing what they’re saying. I locked myself away until I was
confident and comfortable again."
Gomez gained fame as a Disney Channel actress in her teens on
"The Wizards of Waverly Place," before launching a music career
with hits such as "Love You Like A Love Song."
"It's so disappointing that I’ve become a tabloid story. It took
away everything I loved about this business," she added.
Gomez, whose new album "Revival" debuts on Friday, said she is
staying healthy now through "diet, routine and medication," as
well as by surrounding herself with supportive friends.
Some 1.5 million Americans suffer from lupus, according to the
Lupus Foundation of America. The disease mainly strikes females
between the ages of 15 and 44 years old.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Alan
Crosby)
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