After a grueling world tour, Selena Gomez announced that she needs to put her career on hold to take care of herself.
In a statement to People, the 24-year-old shared that her lupus diagnosis is causing some side effects, which she is now battling, and she plans to hit pause in order to recuperate.
“As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways,” Gomez wrote. “I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”
Gomez when on to explain that although this is a difficult decision, taking good care of herself understandably must be her top priority moving forward.
“I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off,” she writes. “Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”
A Gomez insider told People that her decision is “absolutely not related to alcohol or substance abuse.” It sounds as though the remainder of her tour will be postponed for now.
“She decided to clear her calendar for the year in order to have this be her priority for future happiness and didn’t want to leave any promoters at bay,” the insider added. “She feels relieved that she can now make more sense of why she was feeling the way she was and is optimistic about the future.”
