Demi Lovato Reveals Fame ‘Came at a Price’ and She Still Gets ‘Anxiety’ Over Near-Fatal Overdose

Sharing her story! In her new Hulu documentary Child Star , Demi Lovato opens up about growing up in front of the cameras and the lasting impact it had on her.

“I wouldn’t end up where I am had I not made all the choices leading up to this point, but it came at a price,” the actress, 32, confessed. “There is definitely not a manual on how to navigate this industry at such a young age .”

Demi was just 7 years old when she got her first acting role on Barney & Friends but it was the Disney Channel that made her a household name. During that time, a then-teenage Demi would often shoot movies and TV shows, record albums and go on tour without a break.

“Nobody really knew how to stop the machine,” she said. “The train just kept moving. There were never any pauses.”

To cope with the pressure, the singer turned to drugs and alcohol. “I would say, ‘If you’re going to work me like an adult, I’m going to party like an adult,’” recalled Demi, who went on to struggle with substance abuse issues for years, culminating in a near-fatal heroin overdose in 2018. “That was the only way I knew how to escape. But I was dealing with something much bigger than I could see,” she added. “I get a lot of anxiety when I think about how close I came to not being here at all.”