Selena Gomez says she has been intentional about taking a step back from things recently following her kidney transplant last year.
The 25-year-old actress and singer, who rose to fame on the Disney Channel, opened up about some changes that she has made in her life when speaking to Good Morning America on Friday. According to People reports, Gomez told GMA that she has taken a step back from the busy Hollywood life to enjoy her personal life after complications from lupus resulted in her needing a kidney transplant.
“Honestly, I’ve just kind of stepped back a bit,” the singer and actress said. “I enjoy my life. I don’t really think about anything that causes me stress anymore, which is really nice.”
The entertainer said she has moved out of Los Angeles and doesn’t like to focus on things like getting people to like her. Mandy Teefey, Gomez’s mother and co-producer on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why , previously told People that her daughter has learned to manage her lupus diagnosis by taking breaks as needed.
According to Teefey, Gomez engages in things like yoga, going on retreats, and hikes to help ease her symptoms. While some have questioned how serious Gomez’s condition is, her mother insisted “we’re not going to make up an illness.”
You can never be too passionate. The video for Back To You Video is out now! https://t.co/NmFG8RhDJm pic.twitter.com/kkd5OCXw5F
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) June 5, 2018
Gomez was diagnosed with lupus six years ago, but has admitted to previously pushing herself harder than she should have with her condition. The entertainer previously told Today that she would suffer from fevers, headaches, and fatigue.
However, she ignored those symptoms and push through the pain to continue with her busy lifestyle to make music and movies. Gomez admitted that she didn’t always make the right decisions with her health because it wasn’t easy to initially accept her diagnosis.
Things came to a head last year when the entertainer’s kidneys deteriorated and her actress friend, Francia Raisa, came forward to donate one of hers to Gomez. In spite of all that she has been through, Gomez insisted that she does not want people to feel bad for her.
The singer and actress said she believes that her health experiences have helped define who she is and prefers to call it a beautiful thing, rather than a negative experience. While Gomez is learning to balance her career and personal life a bit better, she shows no signs of slowing down with her music and movies.
In June, she released a new music video for her song “Back To You” and on July 13, Gomez will star in the animated film Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
