Selena Gomez thinks her mental health journey has made her stronger.
The 28-year-old star has previously undergone treatment for anxiety and depression, and she feels like those experiences have made her more resilient.
She shared: "I feel like being able to just be myself is something really hard, and I’ve had to work on that.
"I used to be terrified about creating my own stuff. Now when I’m on set, on a movie or TV show, or working on music, I feel like just being myself is such a gift.
"Once I started doing it and saw the rewards afterwards, I thought, 'Oh, I made that decision, and I’m really glad!' I feel more free when I’m just myself."
Selena is also glad that she's been so open about her mental health struggles.
She told The Newsette: "I’m not ashamed. I feel better, and I feel like I can understand a lot of things now."
The brunette beauty - who previously dated the likes of Justin Bieber and The Weeknd - thinks her personal problems have made the success of 'Rare', her most-recent album, even sweeter.
She said: "None of what I’m doing now would have stemmed from the mindset I had before.
"My best stuff is happening now. And then the greatest thing ever in my music was 'Lose You to Love Me' … I remember I had a moment where I couldn’t believe it, because the first and second day, the reactions were crazy, and I remember I smiled and I was like, 'That’s why it’s worth it. All of these years of confusion and being in love, and all of this stuff … and it was finally a clean slate.'
"And it wasn’t even because everyone liked it; it was just a realisation of why I went through everything I went through."