Demi Lovato [1] is only 25 years old, but she's been through a lot in her life. The singer is very open about having dealt with an eating disorder [2], how she's given up dieting [3], and now she's speaking candidly on what she does to keep herself grounded. Besides hitting her favorite gym, the Unbreakable Performance Center [4], where she loves to practice jiujitsu and enjoy other workouts [5], Demi is a fan of gratitude lists.
"I'll text with a friend, and we'll send each other four or five things we're grateful for and why," she told InStyle for her April 2018 cover shoot [6]. When the interview took place, in January 2018, she was grateful for "my dogs, my friends, this gym. The ability to fly to New York within a couple of hours rather than having to drive there. The opportunity to be able to share my opinions and my story with you." Read on to get a glimpse at Demi's shoot, and read what else she had to say about her life now.
On Becoming the Role Model She Didn't Have Growing Up
- "I grew up in the era of really, really skinny celebrities. That was the look. And it was cool to be seen partying. Drugs were glamorized, and when I was 12 or 13, nobody [I looked up to] was talking about mental illness. Nobody was talking about eating disorders. Nobody was talking about cutting. I wanted somebody for my little sister to look up to. I took on that role because I knew it was important."
On Being Single and Her Sexuality
- "I'm not suffering because I'm alone. There were many years I was in a relationship and I wasn't learning about myself. Now I'm learning about what I like, what I need, and what I want."
- "I'm very fluid, and I think love is love. You can find it in any gender. I like the freedom of being able to flirt with whoever I want."
On the Impact Her Fans Have on Her
- "They show me their cuts . . . Sometimes I'll meditate afterwards. Sometimes I'll just kind of breathe. I used to sage myself. It's very heavy."