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Demi Lovato opens up about eating disorders, cutting; tweets about heading back to studio

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Demi Lovato opened up to Seventeen magazine about her ‘dark period’ that included depression, eating disorders and cutting, ultimately landing her in rehabilitation last year at an Illinois facility.

‘I basically had a nervous breakdown. I was really bad off. My parents and manager pulled me aside and said, ‘You need to get some help.’ It was an intervention. I wanted freedom from the inner demons. I wanted to start my life over,’ the 18-year-old Disney star told the magazine.

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Lovato signed on as a contributing editor for the May issue to talk about her dangerous habits, which became ‘so intense that she blew up and punched one of her dancers on tour.’

‘If you are going through that dark period, go to your family and closest friends,’ she said. ‘Don’t put yourself in danger. It’s very crucial that you get your feelings out -- but don’t ever inflict harm on your own body because your body is so sacred. I wish I could tell every young girl with an eating disorder, or who has harmed herself in any way, that she’s worthy of life and that her life has meaning. You can overcome and get through anything.’

The ‘Sonny With a Chance’ star, who recently got ‘stay strong’ tattoos as a thank-you for fan support, admitted to cutting herself in order to deal with pressure to be ‘perfect.’ She was checked into a rehabilitation facility last November through January to be treated for ‘emotional and physical issues.’

The Seventeen article mentions starving herself, binging and purging, and cutting.

‘One of the reasons I was so unhappy for years was because I never embraced my emotions and I was trying to stay in control,’ she said. ‘In treatment, all of the negative things I did were stripped away and I had to start processing my feelings.’

Lovato has teamed up with Seventeen to post articles twice a month on the magazine’s website. She also joined the Jed Foundation for ‘Love Is Louder Than the Pressure to Be Perfect,’ a project that helps teen girls deal with the same issues as her. The organization works to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college students.

Though her reps had been tight-lipped about the details of her rehab, they vehemently denied that she was being treated for drug or alcohol abuse. Now the starlet is looking forward to telling her version of the story.

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’10 days until my GMA and 20/20 interview.. The 20/20 one will be more in depth.. I’m so excited to REALLY share my story with you all..’ she tweeted Tuesday. The future of her hit Disney Channel show had been uncertain; however, she wrote a message to her followers alluding that she was out and about and possibly getting back in the game. ‘Getting a healthy workout in then heading to....... The studio ;)’

No word whether it’s a television studio or recording studio that she’s heading back to, but the phrase ‘NewDemiMusic’ became a top trend on the micro-blogging site soon after.

As for her new personality, she said she doesn’t ‘really define it by anything.’

‘I live my life every day, and if I feel like wearing combat boots one day and shoes the next, I will,’ she said. ‘I allow myself a lot of freedom and I’m very peaceful now. I have come to realize that just making yourself happy is most important.

‘Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that you want, and to do what makes you happy. That’s my life motto.’

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-- Nardine Saad
twitter.com/NardineSaad

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