In the upcoming docuseries named Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil, the 28-year-old singer disclosed that she was s–ually assaulted at the young age of 15 while she was employed by the Disney Channel during the late 2000s.
Lovato shared that she lost her virginity in a traumatic incident she referred to as rape.
She expressed how she attempted to regain control by contacting the perpetrator a month later, only to feel more distressed by the situation.
Despite not disclosing the identity of the alleged assaulter, Lovato mentioned that she was familiar with the person and had to encounter them frequently following the assault.
She further revealed that she confided in someone about the incident back then, but unfortunately, no action was taken against the male perpetrator involved.
When questioned, the Disney Channel declined to comment on the matter when approached by Sky News.
Additionally, Lovato recounted another harrowing experience where she was raped by her drug supplier during an overdose in 2018, which left her severely unwell, resulting in numerous health complications including strokes, a heart attack, and brain damage, after six years of maintaining sobriety.
Describing these events as “textbook trauma re-enactments,” Lovato admitted to struggling for years to acknowledge the s–ual assaults as such due to self-blame and the difficulty in accepting it.
Although not specifying the exact time or place of the childhood rape, Lovato shared that the incident occurred while she was part of the Disney community.
She recalled a distressing encounter where despite expressing her desire to stop intimacy as she was a virgin, her wishes were ignored, leading to self-blame and internalization of guilt.
Furthermore, Lovato explained how societal expectations of purity influenced her mental health struggles, contributing to bulimia and self-harm issues during that period.
As part of the purity ring movement among Disney stars in the late 2000s, Lovato highlighted the challenges she faced in recognizing her assault as rape due to her Christian beliefs.
Empowered by the Me Too movement, encouraging victims to speak out, Lovato felt compelled to share her story publicly, emphasizing the importance of holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.
Despite the traumatic experiences, Lovato has been candid about her battles with substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders, documented in her previous YouTube documentary Simply Complicated released in 2017.
Following her recovery from a near-fatal overdose, Lovato made a successful return to music at the Grammy Awards last year and is now an advocate for mental health through the Talkspace app.
Additionally, she recently announced her engagement to actor Max Ehrich and is preparing for the release of her new docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil on 23 March on YouTube.
