Demi Lovato says she's "a fighter" and ready for a comeback

Demi Lovato shares a lot of herself on social media but she opened up in her first major interview since her alleged overdose and hospitalization in July 2018, but Demi is ready to talk. And we were all ready to listen.Speaking at the Teen Vogue Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday, the "Sorry Not Sorry" singer revealed exactly what this last year  has been like fir her, and how the image she had of herself has shifted to a place where she's in a comfortable place because she now accepts herself for who she is rather than what others expect, and more tellingly, what she once thought others expected of her."I think it's been a very introspective year for me," she told Teen Vogue's editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner. "I've learned a lot, been through a lot."

Gratitude game

But Lovato admitted she's still a work in progress and that while she continues to work on accepting her body as it is, it's different from body positivity because she said, "I don't always feel positive about my body. Sometimes I do not like what I see. I don't sit there and dwell on it. I also don't lie to myself. I used to look in the mirror if I was having a bad body image day and say 'I love my body, you're beautifully and wonderfully made.' But I didn't believe it. I don't have to lie to myself and tell myself I have an amazing body. All I have to say is 'I'm healthy.' In that statement, I express gratitude. I am grateful for my strength and things I can do with my body. I am saying I'm healthy and I accept the way my body is today without changing anything."

 

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"I think it's been a very introspective year for me. I've learned a lot, been through a lot." –@ddlovato is BACK and better than ever! ? She got real about body acceptance and social media trolls at the #TeenVogueSummit — and let us know that there's new music on the way! ? Get into it at the link in bio! | ? @gettyimages for @teenvogue

A post shared by Teen Vogue (@teenvogue) on Nov 3, 2019 at 7:16am PST

She also teased new music, which was met with thunderous applause by those in attendance. But Demi's not rushing her comeback. "It's important to remember that I am so cautious this time around of jumping back into things. I've really decided to take my time with things. When the time is right, I will put it out there. I am dying to release new music ... but everything in due time."

'A strong woman'

It was in 2018 that Demi was hospitalized for an overdose. Lovato candidly said she's aware the incident, along with her troubled past, threaten to outshine her accomplishments and would rather people focus on her singing and acting than anything else as she continues to grow and learn more about herself.She also revealed that she believes it was her eating disorder that led her down a darker path, because she was engaging in behaviours and going to the gym to an "unhealthy extreme." But today is a new day and now she listens to her body. If she feels like working out, she will—but not to get her body to look a certain way but, rather, to feel stronger. And it's not just accepting what she looks like but also how she feels inside that matters the most to her."What I see in the mirror [is] someone that's overcome a lot," she reflected. "I've been through a lot and I genuinely see a fighter. I don't see a championship winner, but I see a fighter and someone who is going to continue to fight no matter what is thrown their way. I have a lot of confidence now because I have said the things I believe in. That's what I see when I look in the mirror —a strong woman."