Selena Gomez explains why ‘years of confusion and being in love’ were ‘worth it’

Selena Gomez has opened up about how her previous relationship experiences have shaped her.

Speaking to Newsette, the singer, who dated Justin Bieber on and off for years, explained that she had spent the last few months reflecting on her love life.

"None of what I’m doing now would have stemmed from the mindset I had before," she said.

“My best stuff is happening now,” Gomez added before going on to reference one of her most popular singles, which came out last year. 

“And then the greatest thing ever in my music was 'Lose You to Love Me',” she said.

"I remember I had a moment where I couldn’t believe it, because the first and second day, the reactions were crazy, and I remember I smiled and I was like, ‘That’s why it’s worth it’.

"All of these years of confusion and being in love, and all of this stuff… and it was finally a clean slate. And it wasn’t even because everyone liked it; it was just a realization of why I went through everything I went through."

“Lose You to Love Me” is rumoured to be about Gomez’s on-off relationship with Bieber, who is now married to the model Hailey Baldwin.

Elsewhere in the interview, Gomez spoke about mental health and explained why it’s important to her to talk about her own struggles.

"Because I was raised by a mum who wasn’t afraid to talk about things, it didn’t seem like a taboo thing for me," she said. 

“It was like, 'Oh, ok, I definitely know it’s possible to have mental illness,' so I was much younger when I started therapy...and it was great, but I was still figuring it out.”

In April, Gomez opened up about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

 The “Feel Me” singer appeared on an instalment of Miley Cyrus’ Instagram Live series titled "Bright Minded".

During the 20-minute conversation, the discussion turned to mental health after Cyrus asked Gomez how she was coping during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Gomez revealed that she recently found out she had bipolar disorder during a visit to a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, adding that the condition no longer scares her.

“I went to one of the best mental hospitals in America, McClean Hospital, and I discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things, I realised that I was bipolar,” Gomez said.

“I was equal parts terrified and relieved – terrified because the veil was lifted but relieved that I finally had the knowledge of why I had suffered with various depressions and anxieties for so many years.

“I never had full awareness or answers about this condition. When I have more information, it actually helps me, it doesn’t scare me once I know it.”

Bipolar, previously called “manic depression”, is a serious mental health condition where people experience significant swings in mood, with episodes of hyperactivity and depression.

It is thought between one to two per cent of adults have bipolar disorder, although NHS figures show more younger people, aged 16 to 34, are diagnosed with the condition.