Lovato thankful to be alive

Pop star Demi Lovato, pictured, said at the weekend she was thankful to be alive and needed time to recover, in her first remarks since an overdose nearly two weeks ago.

Writing to her more than 70 million followers on Instagram, Lovato gave few details on her July 24 hospitalisation but noted that she has long been open about her struggles with addiction.

“What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time,” the 25-year-old star wrote.

“It is something that I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.

“I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well,” she said, adding that she was “forever grateful” for the support of her fans and crediting the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles with saving her life.

Lovato, who cancelled a show in Atlantic City that had been planned for two days after her hospitalisation, suggested that she may not be returning to the public eye soon.

“I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery.”

Lovato has long spoken of her struggles with depression, eating disorders and addiction, belying her happy persona as a smiling star of the children’s show Barney and Friends.

A 2012 documentary, Demi Lovato: Stay Strong, showed how she used to snort cocaine several times a day before finding her way into rehab and reviving her career.

In June, Lovato released a song entitled Sober, in which she indicated a relapse and apologises in verse to her parents. –