“I had to stop,” she said of her break from the spotlight. “I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside.”

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21 (UPI) — Selena Gomez gave a candid and emotional speech at the 2016 American Music Awards on Sunday

The 24-year-old singer addressed her difficult past year after winning Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist at the annual awards ceremony.

“In 2014, this stage was actually the first time that I was authentically 100 percent honest with all of you,” Gomez said, referencing her raw 2014 AMAs performance following her split from Justin Bieber.

“I think it’s safe to say that most of you know a lot of my life, whether I liked it or not, and I had to stop. I had everything and I was absolutely broken inside. I kept it all together enough to where I’d never let you down, but I kept it too much together to where I let myself down,” she confessed.

“I don’t want to see your bodies on Instagram. I want to see what’s in here. I’m not trying to get validation, nor do I need it anymore. All I can say from the bottom of my heart is I’m so grateful I have the opportunity to be able to share what I love every single day with people that I love. I have to say thank you so much to my fans because you guys are so damn loyal and I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” she added.

“If you are broken, you do not have to stay broken. Whether you respect me or not, that’s one thing you should know about me: I care about people. Thank you so much for this,” the star concluded.

The 2016 AMAs marked Gomez’s first public appearance since she announced in August that she’ll take a break from the spotlight. The singer, who previously revealed she has lupus, told People the disease can cause “anxiety, panic attacks and depression.”

“I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support,” she said in a statement.

Lady Gaga, Niall Horan and Colton Haynes were among the stars to voice their support for Gomez after her speech at Sunday’s ceremony. Lady Gaga shared a backstage photo with the singer, writing, “So dope I got to hang with the biggest rockstar of the night. (Ya,know because Sting and Green Day) ….the girl with the biggest prize of all a BIG heart that she shares with the world.”

Source: upi.com