Love vs. Family
Selena Gomez and mom Mandy Teefey are torn apart by the singer’s rekindled romance with Justin Bieber
Forced to pick between her mom and her man, Selena Gomez sides with on-again beau Justin Bieber.
Selena Gomez’s mother is not happy about her daughter’s rekindled romance with Justin Bieber. After watching the young stars’ toxic relationship start and stop for years, Mandy Teefey made up her mind long ago that Selena deserves better. “Mandy tried everything to stop him and Selena from getting back together, but nothing seemed to work,” a family insider reveals. “She finally reached her limit and gave her daughter an ultimatum — Justin or her!”
Selena picked her boyfriend. They rang in the new year together in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and have been talking about tying the knot. “She felt she had to choose Justin over her family because she’s deeply in love with him,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. Selena believes he’s changed from the immature bad boy who repeatedly broke her heart, and expects they’ll spend their lives together. “He makes her feel stronger,” says the source, “in every way.”
That was exactly what she needed. Justin, 23, reached out to Selena in September, after she revealed she’d had a secret kidney transplant amid her battle with the autoimmune disease lupus.
He’s been by her side ever since. And his decision to rededicate himself to his Christian faith through the Hillsong megachurch convinced Selena, 25, that he was ready to be her rock. “His deep sense of faith,” the source says, “has
helped her with her worries and fears since she had the transplant.”
NOT BUYING IT
But Mandy, 41, remains convinced history will repeat itself — and Selena will be left heartbroken and alone. “Every time Selena and Justin have reunited in the past, Selena ends up becoming very unhealthy and either needs rehab or help from her family to get past him,” notes the source. “Her family has seen it too many times. They feel this relationship is doomed.”
In December, Mandy was briefly hospitalized reportedly after a fight with her daughter about Justin. Days later, the mother and daughter unfollowed each other on Instagram. That drama left other family members siding with Mandy. “Now that Selena’s affected her mother’s health with her choice to be with Justin, some of her cousins have stopped talking to her,” says the source. “They all think Justin is terrible for her and her future. But Selena feels they just don’t understand that Justin has changed.”
Justin’s trying not to make things worse. “He just wants everyone to get along,” says the family insider. “But he believes in boundaries and thinks Mandy needs to give Selena some space and let the two of them get on with their lives.” Selena’s pals hope they’ll eventually put their rift behind them. “They’ve had many bustups over the years about Justin,” notes the family insider. “It’s unlikely their feud will last forever. But Selena thinks Mandy needs to accept that she is old enough to make her own decisions.”