Secrets Of How Billionaire Selena Gomez Pulled Herself Back From Brink of Despair: 'She Put Her Career on Hold and Became More Reclusive'
Sept. 12 2024, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Just six short years ago, Emmy-winning actress Selena Gomez hit rock bottom.
RadarOnline.com can reveal how the Only Murders in the Building star managed to pull herself out of despair and made a career comeback after suffering heartbreak and a serious health scare.
It all began in 2018, after Gomez, 32, endured a painful breakup with longtime on-again, off-again boyfriend Justin Bieber.
To make matters worse for the Rare Beauty founder, she experienced complications with systemic lupus, a chronic auto-immune disease which causes a body to attack healthy tissues and organs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
For Gomez, her lupus attacked her kidneys. She underwent a major life-saving transplant surgery with friend Francia Raisa the year prior in 2017.
A source close to Gomez said: "It was a terrible year for Selena.
"She had just gone through a painful breakup with Justin and following the surgery, she gained weight due to prescribed medications and became the target of fat-shamers."
Stress from her breakup and health issues took a toll on Gomez, who eventually retreated from public life.
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The source added: "Selena was overwhelmed with everything going on in her life. So, she put her career on hold and took a break from social media and public appearances."
Six years later and the actress has bounced back. She's had success in both her business and acting career – and has even found love again. Gomez is even rumored to be planning a wedding with her boyfriend of one year, music producer Benny Blanco.
While she's on top of the world, she's not slowing down as insiders revealed "she is also about to release a new album, her first in three years".
An insider added: "(A)nd her cosmetics company, Rare Beauty, just announced it's worth $2billion – making her one of the richest women in Hollywood, beating out Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba and Kylie Jenner."
Meanwhile, her acting career has skyrocketed.
The source said: "Right now, Selena's first love is acting.
"She's rather act than sing. She drew rave reviews for her role in the TV series Only Murders in the Building and she's currently in talks with Disney to reprise her role in the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel.
"I've never seen her so happy and content – and no one deserves it more than she does."
Gomez hasn't been shy about sharing her happiness with fans, either.
The multi-hyphenate has been active on social media, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of filming her hit Hulu series, as well as intimate posts with Blanco. The behavior is stark difference from her past behavior online, in which she would often give followers heads-up on her planned social media breaks.
She recently said: "I learned not to say that anymore. I've been loving it. I've been working out. I've been taking care of myself. It's the first time I've had a break in a little bit. So I feel good."
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