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Selena Gomez didn’t check herself into an Arizona rehab facility in January 2014 over alcoholism or a broken heart — the singer was diagnosed with lupus and had to undergo chemotherapy.

“I was diagnosed with [autoimmune disease] lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy,” Gomez revealed in an interview with Billboard on Thursday. “That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke.”

Tabloids were rife with rumors about why Gomez “needed to spend some time on myself” after abruptly canceling the end of her tour in 2014.

Also Read: Selena Gomez Releases New Song, Announces Upcoming Tour

“I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re assholes,'” she said. “But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It’s awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they’re saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

And with her new comfort and confidence comes new solo album “Revival,” arriving on Oct. 9. Her songs “Good For You” and “The Heart Wants What it Wants” marked a change in Gomez’s musical taste and her identity as she strived to distance herself from her three-year romance with Justin Bieber.

Yet, while her on-again-off-again relationship may have caused her stress and sadness, she only has good things to say about her ex-boyfriend.

Also Read: Selena Gomez Joins Chloe Grace Moretz, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron in 'Neighbors 2'

“I’m proud of him,” said Gomez, although she was reluctant to talk about him. “This is what I always saw in him, why I always believed in him.”

While they are on good, albeit non-communicative, terms, Gomez doesn’t draw any inspiration from his career evolution: “This is my time. I’ve deserved this. I earned it. This is all me.”

With the imminent release of “Revival,” Gomez will also star in a new film after recently having voiced a character in “Hotel Transylvania 2.” She will also appear in the film, “In Dubious Battle,” directed by her “Spring Breakers” costar James Franco. With both the album and the film’s release coming soon, Gomez feels like “a pregnant woman at nine months … I’m dying for this thing to come out.”

15 Jaw-Dropping TV Interviews Before Bruce Jenner: From Whitney's 'Crack Is Whack' to Tom Cruise's Couch-Jumping (Photos)

Following months of speculation, Bruce Jenner breaks his silence about transitioning to living his life as a woman in an interview with Diane Sawyer to air Friday on ABC.
ABC
Barbara Walter's 1999 interview with Monica Lewinsky on "20/20" scored spectacular ratings, ranking as the most-watched news interview ever televised on a single network. ABC estimated that 74 million people watched at least a portion of the two-hour broadcast.
ABC
Martin Bashir's documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" addressed the late pop-star's secretive lifestyle on Neverland Ranch and his penchant for sharing his bed with children. The U.K. airing had 15 million viewers while 38 million watched the 2-hour special on ABC.
ABC
In 2002, Houston sat down for an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote an upcoming album. When asked about reports surrounding her ongoing drug addiction, Houston infamously replied: "Let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack ... Crack is whack."
ABC
Geraldo Rivera’s 1986 special, “The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults,” was one of the most hyped TV events in history... and one of the biggest flops. Rivera finally opened the famous gangster’s secret safe in a two-hour special, but instead of finding money or bodies, he discovered a couple of empty bottles and dirt. The broadcast became the most-watched syndicated special with 30 million people tuning in.
Tribune
After years of reported drug abuse and spousal problems, "20/20" sat down with Charlie Sheen in 2011 to set the record straight. The visibly manic actor candidly spoke to Andrea Canning about his past addiction. The interview was used as the basis for a viral video that received more than 10 million views during its first 9 days on YouTube.
ABC
TV chef Paula Deen went on the "Today" show in 2013 to explain her use of the N word in a legal deposition. Deen denied to Matt Lauer that she was a racist, right before bursting into tears.
NBC
Princess Diana shocked the world in a BBC interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 when she admitted she had an affair with her riding instructor. She dropped another bomb when she told Bashir: "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” referring to the love triangle between herself, Prince Charles, and his then mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
BBC
Oprah Winfrey sat down with Michael Jackson in 1993 for what would become the most-watched interview in television history. It was the King of Pop’s first interview in 14 years and the live broadcast from Jackson's Neverland Ranch was watched by 90 million people.
Harpo
Oprah Winfrey's interview with Tom Cruise in 2005 gained notoriety after Cruise jumping onto a couch, fell to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for then girlfriend, Katie Holmes. This scene quickly became ingrained in American pop-cultural prompting parodies from "Mad TV," "The Simpsons," "Saturday Night Live," "Family Guy," and "South Park."
Harpo
Fresh off her sixth rehab stint, Lindsay Lohan spoke publicly for the first time with Oprah Winfrey in 2013. Lohan later appeared in a docu-series on Oprah’s OWN network.
OWN
In 2008, Jodi Arias famously told "Inside Edition," "mark my words on that one -- no jury will convict me." Arias was indicted for murdering ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. The interview was played to jurors who did convict her of first degree murder.
Inside Edition
With little emotion, Lance Armstrong came clean about his steroid use during a 2013 interview with Oprah Whinfrey. The seven-time Tour de France winner admitted to doping and lying about it for years. “I am flawed, deeply flawed,” Armstrong said.
OWN
In 1988, boxer Mike Tyson and wife Robin Givens sat down with Barbara Walters on ABC to talk about their troubled marriage. Givens described their married life as “torture” and “pure hell.” The two divorced shortly after.
ABC
It his first interview following his 1974 resignation, Richard Nixon talked to British journalist David Frost in 1977 about the Watergate scandal. The dramatic interview later became the subject of a Peter Morgan play, “Frost/Nixon,” as well as a movie of the same name. The film, directed by Ron Howard, received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.
David Paradine Productions

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Infidelity, drug use and political secrets among shocking revelations from TV interview history

Following months of speculation, Bruce Jenner breaks his silence about transitioning to living his life as a woman in an interview with Diane Sawyer to air Friday on ABC.

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