Demi Lovato Says An Eating Disorder Relapse Was A Factor In Her Overdose

Throughout her career, Demi Lovato has been forthcoming about her own struggles with dieting, exercise, and body image. As she returns to public life following her July 2018 overdose, Lovato is speaking out about the role her eating disorder played in the incident. According to Pop Culture, the singer appeared on Pretty Big Deal, a podcast hosted by Ashley Graham. During her interview, Lovato spoke about her eating disorder.

The singer said that she was running herself into the ground with exercise and extreme workouts. She also said that while she thought that she had spent the past few years recovering from an eating disorder, she was actually falling deeper into one.

“I think when you have certain people around you that are telling you certain things, that you should look a certain way, it makes it harder. I was in that situation, and I was just running myself into the ground. And I honestly think that’s kind of what led to everything happening over the past year. [It] was just, like, me thinking I found recovery when I didn’t, and then living this kind of lie and trying to tell the world I was happy with myself when I really wasn’t,” Lovato said.

Lovato’s 2018 overdose led her to be rushed to the hospital, and she only returned to performing in January of this year. In her interview with Graham, the 27-year-old singer said that, as she developed her next album, she prioritized her own mental health.

She said that she wasn’t willing to harm her mental health in order to look a certain way and that while she promoted this new album, she would focus less on how she looked. Lovato said that someone had to look out for people who aren’t naturally as thin as celebrities are often expected to be.

Now, the singer says she’s less concerned with fitting a certain mold, and more willing to embrace who she is instead of living a lie about her own self-image.

Although she’s returned to music now, there was a period after her overdose where Lovato was unsure about her future in the industry. In an interview with Andy Cohen, the singer said that she was worried that she wouldn’t have the same drive or passion for it after her overdose.

Lovato said that her health also played a factor in that decision. Initially, she didn’t know how long and involved her recovery would be and whether music was something she’d want to be involved with following the traumatic event.