Popstar Demi Lovato has always been very open about her battle with an eating disorder, overdose and consequent recovery, and the 27-year-old recently opened up about the same and celebrated her stretchmarks, urging her fans to accept themselves as they are. In an Instagram post, the Sorry Not Sorry singer shared images of herself in a swimsuit, with liquid glitter painted onto her stretchmarks, she wrote, “I used to genuinely believe recovery from an eating disorder wasn’t real. That everyone was faking or secretly relapsing behind closed doors. “Surely she throws up here and there”, “she can’t POSSIBLY accept her cellulite”… those we’re just a few of the things that I used to tell myself growing up. I’m so grateful that I can honestly say for the first time in my life – my dietitian looked at me and said “This is what eating disorder recovery looks like.” In honor of my gratitude for the place I’m in today, this was a lil shoot I did by myself in quarantine this summer when I wanted to celebrate my stretch marks instead of being ashamed of them. I started wearing actual glitter paint on my stretch marks to celebrate my body and all of it’s features (whether society views them as good OR bad) My stretch marks aren’t going away so might as well throw a lil glitter on em’ amiright? (sic)”

She went on to urge her fans to have faith in themselves, “Also let this be a reminder to anyone who doesn’t think it’s possible: IT ACTUALLY IS YOU CAN DO IT. I BELIEVE IN YOU. This year was tough.. be gentle on yourself if you slip up and remember to get right back on track because you’re WORTH THE MIRACLE OF RECOVERY I LOVE YOU (last pics without sparkle edits – Instagram vs reality type shit you kno?)”.

Demi had appeared on The Ellen Show and shared with host Ellen DeGeneres about her struggle with eating disorders that led to her drug overdose in 2018, feeling controlled by her team and for eating watermelon cake with fat-free whipped cream for her birthday instead of cake to control her sugar intake. She had said, “I lived a life for the past six years that I felt like wasn’t my own. Because I struggled really hard with an eating disorder, yes, and that was my primary problem and then it turned into other things, but my life, I just felt was — I hate to use this word, but I felt like it was controlled by so many people around me.”

She shared about her food intake being monitored, “I think at some point it becomes dangerous to try to control someone’s food when they’re in recovery from an eating disorder,” this led to her condition worsening and she “asked for help and I didn’t receive the help that I needed …. So I was stuck in this unhappy position and here I am sober and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m six years sober but I’m miserable. I’m even more miserable than I was when I was drinking. Why am I sober?’”

The former Disney star went on to add that she “felt completely abandoned”, which led her to start drinking again and three months later she was in the hospital after overdosing. She said, “Ultimately, I made the decisions that got me to where I am today, it was my actions that put me in the position that I’m in,” Lovato concluded. “I think it’s important that I sit here on this stage and tell you at home, or you in the audience, or you right here that if you do go through this, you yourself can get through it, you can get to the other side … As long as you take the responsibility, you can move past it and learn to love yourself the way you deserve to be loved.”

In September of last year, Lovato shared an unedited image of herself flaunting her cellulite, she wrote, “This is my biggest fear. A photo of me in a bikini unedited. And guess what, it’s CELLULIT!!!! I’m just literally sooooo tired of being ashamed of my body, editing it (yes the other bikini pics were edited – and I hate that I did that but it’s the truth) so that others think I’m THEIR idea of what beautiful is, but it’s just not me. This is what I got. I want this new chapter in my life to be about being authentic to who I am rather than trying to meet someone else’s standards. So here’s me, unashamed, unafraid and proud to own a body that has fought through so much and will continue to amaze me when I hopefully give birth one day. It’s such a great feeling to be back in tv/film while not stressing myself with a strenuous workout schedule before 14 hour days, or depriving myself from a real birthday cake rather than opting for watermelon & whip cream with candles because I was terrified of REAL cake and was miserable on some crazy diet shit. Anyway, here’s me, RAW, REAL! And I love me. And you should love you too! Now back to the studio.. I’m working on an anthem.. also. Just so everyone’s clear.. I’m not stoked on my appearance BUT I am appreciative of it and sometimes that’s the best I can do. I hope to inspire someone to appreciate their body today too.(sic)”