Demi Lovato Credits Justin Bieber For Inspiring Her To Get Sober Following Her Relapse

Demi Lovato says Justin Bieber was one of the celebrities she looked up to while she was battling her own addictions.

The “I Love Me” singer appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest-host on Friday, March 6. E! News shared that Bieber was the show’s guest for the day. The “Yummy” singer sat down with Lovato as the two shared how they met early in their careers. When they met, Lovato was a 16-year-old Disney Channel star, while Bieber was a 14-year-old up-and-coming artist. Lovato said, at the time, Bieber’s newness in the industry didn’t seem to intimidate him. She said he told her on their first meeting that she would know his name eventually. She then confirmed that, soon, his statement was true.

The two former child stars then shared how they both had similar experiences in the industry. Both Bieber and Lovato have been candid about their past drug addictions. They have also shared how they had a desire to leave the entertainment industry in the past after feeling like they were burnt out from the business. Ultimately, Bieber said he knew he was meant to be in the music business after taking some time off to listen to God in regard to his career.

“I feel like, this is what you and I are both meant to do,” Bieber said to Lovato. “You’re meant to entertain and sing, and I think same as me. So when we run away from that, it’s almost like we become less happy.”

Lovato also took the appearance as an opportunity to thank Bieber for being there for her during her own struggles. She said when she was on the road to recovery after relapsing back in 2018, she looked at how Bieber was sharing his issues with recovery. She shared with him and the Ellen audience that seeing him be open about his sobriety made her feel less alone.

“When I struggled last year, I know I looked at you as an inspiration because you’ve been through this and you’ve come out the other side and I really just admire the man that you are today,” she admitted to Bieber.

Both Bieber and Lovato opened up about their addictions through video. Lovato had a documentary on YouTube, Simply Complicated, which premiered in 2017. Bieber’s docuseries, Seasons, premiered in January and showed his return to the music industry after a five-year hiatus.