Selena Gomez Reveals What Happened When She Woke Up from Kidney Transplant Surgery

Selena Gomez is looking stunning on the cover of WSJ. Magazine’s February Talents and Legends Issue out on newsstands Saturday, January 18.

Here’s what the 27-year-old entertainer had to share with the mag…

On her physical illnesses: “The lupus was a huge thing that happened to me, then the kidney thing happened, and that was the scariest because, yeah, you could actually die,” The transplant was a two-hour surgery. “The moment I came out I remember starting to shake and my mom screaming and then being put back under,” Due to complications, the surgery lasted another seven hours, and in the process her doctors had to use arteries from her legs. “That’s what makes you go, You know what, I’m just so happy to be alive.”

On mental illness: “I feel like I was supposed to go through everything I’ve gone through. I had low self-esteem, and that’s something I work on continuously. But I feel so empowered because I’ve gained so much knowledge about what was going on mentally. My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time. I found out I do suffer from mental health issues. And, honestly, that was such a relief. I realized that there was a way to get help and to find people that you trust. I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed.”

On her love life: “I need time by myself. I love going to my room at the end of the day. Just me and my dog. I got the full granny panties situation, stretched out in my bed. I’ve been single for over two years now. I’m OK with that.”

On her friendship and connection with Taylor Swift: “There’s so much of my friendship with Taylor that people don’t know about because we don’t necessarily feel the need to post about everything we do,” Gomez explains. “She has showed up for me in ways that I would have never expected. Flown in because I was hurt and was going through something. Stuff that was going on with my family. It’s been proven year after year and in every moment of my life that she is one of my best friends in the world. We don’t agree on everything, but we respect each other with everything.”

For more from Selena Gomez, visit WSJ. Magazine.