Demi Lovato Opens Up About Near-Fatal 2018 Overdose, Says She Had 3 Strokes, Heart Attack & Brain Damage
'Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil' premieres on March 23.
Tinseltown / Shutterstock Demi Lovato is stronger than ever, but the road to recovery after her near-fatal overdose in 2018 hasn’t been an easy one.
Ahead of Lovato’s YouTube documentary, which is set to premiere on March 23, the 28-year-old “Commander in Chief” singer recently opened up about the aftermath of overdose that almost took her life, and revealed some shocking news about her health as a result of the OD.
In the intense preview for Lovato’s four-part docuseries, the singer revealed the extent of the damage done to her body from her life-threatening overdose nearly three years ago.
“I had three strokes. I had a heart attack,” she recalled, adding, “My doctors said I had five to ten more minutes.”
The Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil trailer also features the singer’s closest friends and family candidly speaking about the day Lovato overdosed, as well as events and past traumas that led to her breaking point.
You can view the trailer above.
Sitting alongside the documentary’s director, Michael D. Ratner, at the Television Critics Association panel for the docuseries on Feb. 17, Lovato got candid about how the overdose took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
“I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with the effects of that today. I don't drive a car, because I have blind spots on my vision," Lovato revealed.
"And I also for a long time had a really hard time reading. It was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was like two months later because my vision was so blurry."
Lovato then opened up about how she feels “grateful,” even if she has to deal with the repercussions of the overdose for years to come.
"I dealt with a lot of the repercussions and I feel like they are still there to remind me of what could happen if I ever get into a dark place again," Lovato revealed.
"I'm grateful for those reminders, but I'm so grateful that I was someone that didn't have to do a lot of rehabbing. The rehabbing came on the emotional side."
Regardless of her “painful journey,” the former Camp Rock star says she had to go through what she’s gone through to get to where she is today.
"Everything had to happen in order for me to learn the lessons that I learned," she said. "It was a painful journey, and I look back and sometimes I get sad when I think of the pain that I had to endure to overcome what I have, but I don't regret anything."
"I'm so proud of the person I am today," she added.
After the Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil trailer dropped, fans everywhere took to social media to offer the former Disney star their support and well-wishes.
“I would like to take a moment to talk about this woman right here @ddlovato. Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil comes out March 23rd on YouTube and her honesty in this doc is such a commendable and admirable thing. I find it soooooo incredibly brave and I’m just..” one fan tweeted.
“I can’t get over how brave and strong @ddlovato is [growing heart emoji] #DemiDWTD is going to give me chills,” another fan wrote.
Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil premieres on YouTube on March 23, 2021.
If you or somebody you know is suffering from drug and/or alcohol addiction, you are not alone, and there are ways to get help. Call SAMHSA’s national hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit their website for more information.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.