Demi Lovato opens up about her decision to go public with her rehab journey, sharing her heartfelt thoughts on the latest episode of Las Culturistas, released on October 22nd. The 33-year-old singer and actress, with a maturity beyond her years, discusses the reason behind her openness.
"When I first went for treatment, I had to make a decision," Lovato recalls. "I had that very public outburst at 18, which I've talked about in some of my documentaries, but there have been so many others." She continues, "My manager at the time asked me, 'Do you want to be public about what you're going through, or do you want to sweep it under the rug and not talk about it? You have a right to either.' But I thought, 'I didn't have a role model at 13 who spoke up about eating disorders, and I want to be that for someone else.'"
Lovato explains that while there were older actresses who had spoken about similar issues, "there was nobody that I could relate to at 13." She adds, "Especially at a time when beauty standards were very dangerous, I wanted to be that person for others. That's kind of the catalyst for why I've been open about all of my struggles. When I made that decision, it set the tone for the rest of my life – I want to help people. And the best way I know how is by sharing my personal experience with them."
Back in 2017, Lovato revealed that she decided to address her alcohol and drug abuse when her family told her they would no longer hold interventions with her. "The final one, everyone was like, 'We are no longer going to leave, we are leaving,'" she said on The Jonathan Ross Show at the time. "That was the moment when I thought, 'Okay, I really need to get help and get sober.' This time I knew...I had hit rock bottom and I just needed to do this for myself."
In 2010, Lovato was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while receiving inpatient treatment for emotional and physical issues. "I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar," she told PEOPLE in 2011.
