At the American Music Awards Sunday night Selena Gomez gave a deeply personal speech about living with mental health issues, and she brought the crowd to its feet for applause and drew praise on social media.
While accepting the the American Music Award for Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist, Gomez, who lives with an autoimmune disease called lupus, highlighted her struggle with depression and anxiety.
"I think it's safe to say that most of you know a lot of my life whether I liked it or not, and I had to stop, 'cause I had everything, and I was absolutely broken inside. And I kept it all together to where I never let you down. But I kept it too much together where I let myself down," said Gomez, 24.
Gomez, who is of mixed Mexican and Italian heritage, recently took herself off social media and out of the spotlight to treat her depression and anxiety.
"I don't want to see your bodies on Instagram. I want to see what's in here," she added, pointing to her heart. "And 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. If you are broken, you don't have to stay broken."
The camera pan showed artists such as Lady Gaga crying during the speech. Many of Gomez's fans took to social media to praise her honesty.
