Selena Says She Was A "Victim" Of Justin's Emotional "Abuse"

In an incredibly vulnerable Jan. 26 interview with NPR, Selena Gomez claimed Justin Bieber was emotionally abusive toward her during their relationship. (Elite Daily reached out to reps for Bieber for comment on this claim and did not hear back in time for publication). The topic of Bieber first came up in Gomez's interview while discussing "Lose You To Love Me," her 2019 song that is widely interpreted as detailing the aftermath of her split with the pop star.

"I'm very proud of it," she said of the song. "It has a different meaning to me now from when I wrote it. I felt I didn't get a respectful closure, and I had accepted that, but I know I needed some way to just say a few things that I wish I had said. It's not a hateful song; it's a song that is saying — I had something beautiful and I would never deny that it wasn't that. It was very difficult and I'm happy it's over. And I felt like this was a great way to just say, you know, it's done, and I understand that, and I respect that, and now here I am stepping into a whole other chapter."

At that point, the reporter interviewing Gomez interjected to be clear that the person she was moving on from was Bieber. Gomez responded with a confirmation saying, "You had to get the name in, I get it."

Once they had established that it was, in fact, Bieber who she was referring to, the reporter asked Gomez if she views her relationship with him as "one of the harder parts" in terms of all of the painful things she's undergone over the past few years.

"No, because I've found the strength in it," Gomez replied. "It's dangerous to stay in a victim mentality. And I'm not being disrespectful, I do feel I was a victim to certain abuse." Before Gomez could finish that thought, the reporter interrupted to ask if she meant "emotional abuse."

"Yes, and I think that it's something that — I had to find a way to understand it as an adult," Gomez responded. "And I had to understand the choices I was making. As much as I definitely don't want to spend the rest of my life talking about this, I am really proud that I can say I feel the strongest I've ever felt and I've found a way to just walk through it with as much grace as possible."

Let's take a moment to commend Gomez for her ability to share such personal aspects of her life with the world. Her fans going through tough times, too, must appreciate it.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org.