Demi Lovatobecame an overnight sensation when she had her big break starring oppositeJoe Jonasin Disney Channel’s original movie Camp Rock, but the nonstop pace of her career took a toll on the young star.“She was very young, very fragile. The schedule was so intense,” a former member of the star’s inner circle tells PEOPLE exclusively about her rise to fame. “Demi never had a day off. She had to put in 16 hours on set, then go on tour, then record, then do press. She was exhausted.”Indeed, the Grammy nominee, 25, opened up in her 2017 YouTube documentaryDemi Lovato: Simply Complicatedabout the pressure she was under during her teen years.Albert Michael/startraksphoto“Everything happened so fast. All of a sudden I was on tour, writing songs for my album with The Jonas Brothers and then I was on a tour of my own. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for anyone, let alone a kid,” Lovato said in the film.As Lovato’s star continued to rise,her relationship with her parents—mom Dianna De La Garza, 55, and stepdad Eddie De La Garza, 57 — became more complicated.“One of the challenges was the balance of power in the family,” says a source who previously worked with Lovato. “When you’re supporting the family, you have all the power at 15.”The “Confident” singer also revealed in her documentary she felt pressure to conform as “fame began to creep” into her life.RELATED VIDEO:Demi Lovato’s Backup Dancer Asks Fans to Stop ‘Negativity’ After Singer’s Apparent Overdose“I started feeling pressure to look a certain way, to sing music that I felt people would like rather than sing that I would like. There was more pressure to succeed, you know? I really wanted to be the best of the best,” she said in her documentary.For all the details onDemi Lovato’s hospitalization and struggles following her shocking overdose, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.Since she was young, the star has also struggled with body image issues and eating disorders that only intensified as she found more success onscreen.“That was a chic look back then,” Lovato said while showing off a collage she made as a teen of thin celebrities. “I’ve gotAmy Winehousein there that I looked up to and wanted to be so badly. I wanted to be as thin as her, I wanted to sing like her, I wanted to be just like her.”Lovato was already abusing substances in high school and wasintroduced to cocaineat age 17. “I felt out of control the first time I did it,” said Lovato, who had a dysfunctional relationship with her birth father Patrick (he died in 2013 from cancer). “My dad was an addict and an alcoholic. Guess I always searched for what he found in drugs and alcohol because it fulfilled him and he chose that over a family.”Broadimage/REX/ShutterstockAfterpunching her backup dancer Alex Welchwhile on tour with The Jonas Brothers in 2010, she entered rehab for the first time but continued using for months after completing treatment.Her family and management team issued a final ultimatum that convinced Lovato — who was diagnosed with bipolar disorderduring her first stint in rehab— to finally give up drugs and alcohol in 2012. She marked her sixth year of sobriety in March.While she seemingly kept her demons at bayover the last six years, sources tell PEOPLE the entertainer continuedstruggling with her issuesbehind the scenes.“To save her life, you have to stop her career. Demi needs years of therapy,” says the former member of her circle. “She has enough money. She’s extremely talented. Right now her health and her life are at stake.”If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact theSAMHSA substance abuse helplineat 1-800-662-HELP.
Demi Lovatobecame an overnight sensation when she had her big break starring oppositeJoe Jonasin Disney Channel’s original movie Camp Rock, but the nonstop pace of her career took a toll on the young star.
“She was very young, very fragile. The schedule was so intense,” a former member of the star’s inner circle tells PEOPLE exclusively about her rise to fame. “Demi never had a day off. She had to put in 16 hours on set, then go on tour, then record, then do press. She was exhausted.”
Indeed, the Grammy nominee, 25, opened up in her 2017 YouTube documentaryDemi Lovato: Simply Complicatedabout the pressure she was under during her teen years.
Albert Michael/startraksphoto
“Everything happened so fast. All of a sudden I was on tour, writing songs for my album with The Jonas Brothers and then I was on a tour of my own. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for anyone, let alone a kid,” Lovato said in the film.
As Lovato’s star continued to rise,her relationship with her parents—mom Dianna De La Garza, 55, and stepdad Eddie De La Garza, 57 — became more complicated.
“One of the challenges was the balance of power in the family,” says a source who previously worked with Lovato. “When you’re supporting the family, you have all the power at 15.”
The “Confident” singer also revealed in her documentary she felt pressure to conform as “fame began to creep” into her life.
RELATED VIDEO:Demi Lovato’s Backup Dancer Asks Fans to Stop ‘Negativity’ After Singer’s Apparent Overdose
“I started feeling pressure to look a certain way, to sing music that I felt people would like rather than sing that I would like. There was more pressure to succeed, you know? I really wanted to be the best of the best,” she said in her documentary.
For all the details onDemi Lovato’s hospitalization and struggles following her shocking overdose, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Since she was young, the star has also struggled with body image issues and eating disorders that only intensified as she found more success onscreen.
“That was a chic look back then,” Lovato said while showing off a collage she made as a teen of thin celebrities. “I’ve gotAmy Winehousein there that I looked up to and wanted to be so badly. I wanted to be as thin as her, I wanted to sing like her, I wanted to be just like her.”
Lovato was already abusing substances in high school and wasintroduced to cocaineat age 17. “I felt out of control the first time I did it,” said Lovato, who had a dysfunctional relationship with her birth father Patrick (he died in 2013 from cancer). “My dad was an addict and an alcoholic. Guess I always searched for what he found in drugs and alcohol because it fulfilled him and he chose that over a family.”
Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock
Afterpunching her backup dancer Alex Welchwhile on tour with The Jonas Brothers in 2010, she entered rehab for the first time but continued using for months after completing treatment.
Her family and management team issued a final ultimatum that convinced Lovato — who was diagnosed with bipolar disorderduring her first stint in rehab— to finally give up drugs and alcohol in 2012. She marked her sixth year of sobriety in March.
While she seemingly kept her demons at bayover the last six years, sources tell PEOPLE the entertainer continuedstruggling with her issuesbehind the scenes.
“To save her life, you have to stop her career. Demi needs years of therapy,” says the former member of her circle. “She has enough money. She’s extremely talented. Right now her health and her life are at stake.”
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact theSAMHSA substance abuse helplineat 1-800-662-HELP.
Anya Leon
source: people.com
