18 February 2021
Newsdesk
Demi Lovato no longer drives as she is still suffering from the effects of brain damage as a result of her drug overdose in 2018.
In the new trailer for her highly-anticipated YouTube docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, the pop star revealed she had three strokes and a heart attack during her health emergency, which still causes her issues to this day.
Speaking to reporters after the teaser's premiere on Wednesday, she said, "I was left with brain damage and I still deal with the effects of that today. I don't drive a car because of blind spots in my vision...(and) I had a lot of trouble reading."
Despite hitting rock bottom, Demi insisted she wouldn't change a thing about her life's journey to date.
"They're still there to remind me what could happen if I ever get into a dark place again. I'm grateful for those reminders," she shared. "It was a painful journey, and I look back and sometimes - I get sad when I think about the pain I had to endure, but I don't regret anything. I'm so proud of the person I am today."
The four-part docuseries marks the first time Demi has openly addressed her near-fatal overdose, and she wanted to use the opportunity to set the record straight once and for all - and to offer hope to anyone battling similar struggles.
"I wanted to reveal it all for my fans and say, 'This is who I am and this is where I am today,'" she explained. "If it helps you, then I hope that it can. That was ultimately my purpose in putting this out."
But the drug addiction and overdose aren't the only subjects featured in the project.
"I touch on so many topics in this documentary that's not just about substances...," she continued. "(It also addresses) past traumas that I've dealt with but have never spoken about.
"Waking up in 2018, I realised there is still so much work I have to do on myself... It's about self-acceptance, it's about not conforming to what other people think you should conform to. You are who you are."
Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil will open the South by Southwest Film Festival on 16 March, and premiere on YouTube on 23 March.
