Demi Lovato: Rehab gave me respect

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 9:37a.m.

Demi Lovato "gained respect" from people who warned her she might struggle with fame after entering rehab.

The 19-year-old star ended up getting treatment in 2010 as she was battling eating disorders and self-harming. Demi is now on the road to recovery and admits that facing up to her demons was the best thing she could have possibly done.

"There was a lot of embarrassment and a lot of shame. When I went into rehab I felt like a failure and I felt, for everybody telling me growing up 'You're going to be successful, but don't turn out like that one girl,' I felt like I'd turned into that 'one girl'. I felt like I'd proved everybody right," she said in an interview with the BBC.

"I just let a lot of people down, but I realised that by getting help, I wasn't letting anybody down, I was actually gaining respect from a lot of people because making that decision was very hard but it ultimately changed my life."

Demi's rehab stint has made people more aware of her strength of character. The actress-and-singer says work professionals take a different approach with her now.

"I notice people do treat me differently. People I work with, they're more cautious of the workload I have. I feel like I'm almost being treated more of a human being now, because before it was so easy to be treated like a product, or someone who wasn't capable of working 17 hours a day," she explained.

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