Report: Selena Gomez Underwent Chemo

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez says she has received chemotherapy after being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus, the BBC is reporting.

Concerns about the 23-year-old's health were first raised in 2013, when she cancelled a tour of Asia and Australia.

She later sought treatment at the Dawn at the Meadows rehab facility, with her representatives denying she was dealing with substance abuse.

But the singer has revealed her break was "really about" her lupus diagnois.

“I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke," Gomez told Billboard of her time spent out of the spotlight, which gossip-mongers took as fodder for addiction rumors. “I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re assholes.' I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body's immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue.

This process can lead to destruction of the kidney, heart, brain, spine, and lung tissue.

It can affect almost any system in the body but its exact cause is unknown.