Demi Lovato’s Mother Called The Singer’s Addiction Battles ‘Heartbreaking’

Demi Lovato’s mother has been vocal about her daughter’s troubled past, and she once described the star’s addiction battles as “heartbreaking.” While some of the people who have been close to Lovato expressed shock over news of her apparent drug overdose— as the Inquisitr previously reported, Lovato’s ex-boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama and longtime friend Nick Jonas are reportedly both reeling over the news. Demi’s mother, Dianna De La Garza, has watched the former child star’s struggles up close from the time she was a teen.

Lovato, who has struggled with addiction, bulimia, and bipolar disorder, recently celebrated six years of sobriety, but she detailed a relapse last month when she released the single, “Sober.” In the new song, Lovato sings the heartbreaking lyric, “Momma, I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore/And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor.”

Earlier this year, De La Garza, who penned the 2018 memoir Falling With Wings, opened up to People about her daughter’s long struggle with addiction and body image issues, which date back to her days as a Disney Channel star. Lovato’s mother revealed that by the time Demi was 16 years old she was staying out past curfew, drinking, and dabbling in drugs. When her behavior spiraled out of control in 2010, Lovato famously punched a backup dancer while on tour with the Jonas Brothers and her concerned mother knew she needed serious help.

“The ultimate breaking point would have been when Demi was on tour, and she lashed out at one of her dancers, physically. That was the defining moment where we all said, as a family: ‘She needs help. She needs serious help. And it doesn’t matter what happens to her career — we need to focus on getting her the help she needs.'”

Demi Lovato’s mom ‘has been at her side’ since she was hospitalized for an apparent heroin overdose.https://t.co/icCvsl0NhA

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) July 24, 2018

After Lovato checked into a rehab facility in 2010, her mother was shocked to learn of the drugs she had been doing, including marijuana, cocaine, and Adderall. But after the three-month treatment program, Demi’s mother said her daughter seemed to be more like her happier self again. Unfortunately, a relapse resulted in an ultimatum as De La Garza threatened to cut off contact with Demi’s younger half-sister, Madison, a child actress who previously appeared on Desperate Housewives.

“That was a very heartbreaking time in my life because we basically sat down with Demi and said to her, as much as it hurt me, ‘You have to get serious about getting help and getting sober because you have a little sister, and I can’t allow her to be around you if this is how it’s going to be.’ I didn’t want to say that, as a mother, but I had to because it was the truth. And I did tell her: ‘I will have to take Madison and move back to Texas because I can’t stay and watch this anymore, and I don’t want Madison to see this.'”

De La Garza added that the ultimatum was a “defining” moment for Demi, who committed to getting clean and went to live in a sober house.

Demi Lovato’s mother previously told People she used to think her daughter’s legacy would be “young girls looking up to her because she’s such a great singer.”

“But her purpose is so much bigger,” De La Garza said in February. “I’m proud Demi is an advocate for mental health and positive body image — she’s a role model because of what she’s been through and where she is today.”

While Demi Lovato is currently hospitalized for what was originally reported as a heroin overdose, a rep for the singer told People that some of the information about her medical emergency has been incorrectly reported.

An insider told Us Weekly that Dianna De La Garza rushed to her daughter’s side after the alleged overdose.

“Her mom has been at her side since the hospitalization,” a source close to Lovato told Us. “It’s a very tragic situation.”