Selena Gomez said her “biggest mistake” was falling out of touch with her Wizards of Waverly Place costars.
The actor and singer shot to fame on the Disney show, playing teenage witch Alex Russo for four seasons between 2007 and 2012.
Gomez appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Pod podcast with her former costars Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise – who played her best friend and father, respectively – on Monday (27 February).
During a Q&A segment of the podcast, Gomez was asked what her “biggest mistake” was, to which she replied: “Probably not staying in touch with you guys.”
“I felt ashamed of the decisions that I made,” the Only Murders in the Building star explained.
“I didn’t want you guys to see me in the state that I was in because A, you would have told me the truth which terrifies me, and A, I didn’t want to let you down.”
DeLuise responded: “That’s really sweet and thank you for saying that. We obviously … I miss you and I’m happy you’re doing well now.”
Stone, meanwhile, opened up about how she felt when their friendship fell off.
“I appreciate you saying that too,” she said. “To be perfectly blunt... there has been times where I’m lik … ‘Did we stop being friends because I didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear,’ you know what I mean… so I appreciate you being here.”
“I appreciate you guys… dearly and I love you so much in a way that I’ve never loved anybody else,” Gomez added.
Gomez has been open about her mental health struggles that have been exacerbated by the showbiz industry and her stardom from a young age.
“I think when I started hitting my early twenties is when it started to get really dark, when I started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad,” Gomez said in an interview last year.
In 2018, Gomez checked into a mental health facility where she was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
