Demi Lovato’s hidden anguish
The Disney Channel's teen star was secretly cutting herself and suffering from an eating disorder.
Demi Lovato spent years hiding her pain from the world, said Amy Kaufman in the Los Angeles Times. As the smiling heroine of Sonny With a Chance, Lovato was one of the Disney Channel’s biggest teen stars, whose every move was scrutinized by a team of adult handlers. But nobody noticed that she was secretly cutting herself and suffering from an eating disorder. “I had learned how to control and manipulate everyone around me into believing that I was okay,” says the singer and actress. “Instead of getting lunch, I would go get my nails done or go tan or nap.” During the recording of one song, she felt so disconnected from the track’s uplifting lyrics that she collapsed in the studio, sobbing. “People just thought I was really into the song,” she shrugs.
Last October, she veered out of control. While on tour with the Jonas Brothers, she punched a backup dancer in the face. Finally admitting she had problems, Lovato checked into rehab and began talking with therapists about the childhood trauma that had left her emotionally damaged. Three months later, she emerged healthier and with two new tattoos. The words “stay” and “strong” cover the self-mutilation scars on Lovato’s wrists. “It was very symbolic for me to be able to cover that up,” says the 19-year-old, “and replace it with something permanent that I’ll never be able to forget.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
How could escalation in the Middle East affect the global economy?
Today's Big Question Oil prices have already risen but wider conflict could see supply chains disrupted more broadly
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Helene's death toll surpasses 200'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Pig butchering: one of the world's fastest growing scams
In The Spotlight Beijing is cracking down on the crypto con but this has only pushed it worldwide
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published