Selena Gomez ‘felt stunted’ by child stardom: ‘It was a very difficult time’

Selena Gomez believes that her childhood fame “stunted” her development into her 20s.

The “Calm Down” singer, 32, reflected on the impact of being a child star while responding to a question about what she wished she had known before getting into show business in an interview with Elle published Thursday.

“I have no regrets and I have a fantastic family and there were rules laid down by my parents and I’m appreciative of that,” she told the outlet. “However, I don’t think I would’ve done it very young if I was thinking of myself now.”

Gomez explained that there were “a lot of things” that she “felt stunted by.”

“Then adding a lot of pressure from a lot of people didn’t help me develop a sense of self in my twenties,” she said. “It was a very difficult time. I live with it every day.”

The pop star admitted that she tries to look at the glass half full and focus on projects she loves.

“I try my hardest to stay positive about everything and focus on things like this that really make me happy,” she said of her new movie, “Emilia Pérez.”

“But I would just say maybe wait and have a little bit of a life,” she added.

Gomez began her acting career by appearing on “Barney & Friends” in 2002 at the age of 10. But it wasn’t until five years later that she launched to stardom as the lead actress in Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.”

In 2008, Gomez expanded her career into the music industry, signing on with Hollywood Records to form her band, Selena Gomez & the Scene.

From there, she went on to lead a solo career and has been topping the charts ever since.

The actress has continued to create pop music while also starring in movies like “Another Cinderella Story,” “Spring Breakers” and the “Hotel Transylvania” franchise as well as shows like “Only Murders in the Building” — which earned her an Emmy nomination.

Throughout her successes, she has amassed a staggering 423 million followers on Instagram.

Gomez, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2020, has taken several social media breaks over the years, citing her struggles with mental health.

She is also quite candid about her physical health issues after being diagnosed with lupus around 2013 and getting a kidney transplant in 2017. Due to her chronic illness, she is unable to carry her own children.