Selena Gomez Makes Emotional First Appearance Post-Rehab
Selena Gomez made her first public appearance since going to rehab in late summer 2016.
Gomez, 24, attended the American Music Awards on Nov. 20, 2016, where she was honored with the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Performer. She delivered a moving speech to her fans, thanking them for the support.
"Thank you guys so much," she began. "In 2014, this stage was actually the first time that I was authentically 100 percent honest with all of you," she admitted, recalling her tearful performance of "The Heart Wants What It Wants."
She continued, "It's safe to say that most of you know my life whether I liked it or not. And I had to stop because I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside," she confessed. "And I kept it all together, enough to where I never let you down. But I kept it too much together to where I let myself down. I don't want to see your bodies on Instagram, I want to see what's in here," she said, tapping her heart. "I'm not trying to get validation nor do I need it anymore. All I can say is from the bottom of my heart is I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to be able to share what I love every single day with people that I love."
Gomez went on, "I have to say thank you so much to my fans because you guys are so damn loyal and I don't know what I did to deserve you. But if you are broken, you do not have to stay broken. And if that's anything—whether you respect me or not—that's one thing you should know about me. I care about people, and thank you so much for this. This is for you. Thank you."
As Nicki Swift previously reported, Gomez went to rehab in Tennessee, where she reportedly was slated to stay more than 60 days to take care of her mental health after allegedly suffering from anxiety attacks and depression stemming from her lupus.
Still, there may have been more to her retreat than she let on: in August 2016, Gomez announced she was taking a break from all aspects of her career after a very public social media feud with ex Justin Bieber, and in 2014 she skipped out on rehab for alleged substance abuse issues after just two weeks.