GETTING OUT
SELENA’S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Fed up with the pressures of LA, Selena Gomez makes a life-changing decision to leave Hollywood behind.
Unhappy and under pressure, Selena Gomez decides to escape the glare of the spotlight
Selena Gomez was living la bella vita. Traveling around Rome with pals including her old Wizards of Waverly Place co-star David Henrie and posing for photos with fans, she looked happy and relaxed on June 18. She was all smiles the next day as she explored the country’s capital with a group of friends that included Italian film producer Andrea Iervolino.
Italy is just her first stop on a huge new journey. Selena’s best friend, Taylor Swift, took a year off recently, avoiding the spotlight and staying under the radar in Nashville and London, “and Taylor’s been raving to Selena that it was one of the best decisions she’s ever
made,” says a source. Now, after months of feeling overwhelmed by pressure to be perfect, the temptation of LA’S wild nights and seeing ex Justin Bieber publicly move on with a new romance, the “Wolves” singer, 25, has decided it’s time to make a life change. “She says she’s done with the Hollywood life and all the fakeness that surrounds it,” says the source. “She’s leaving LA. She just wants to get away from it all.”
She’s listed her Hollywood home and, says the source, intends to travel in Europe and Asia. “Selena’s still deciding where to move,” the source says, “but [ her native] Texas is an option. She’d love to
live in a huge farmhouse and build a studio so she can continue writing and working on her music.”
A TIME TO HEAL
Selena has struggled since splitting from Justin — again — earlier this year. Watching her ex, 24, start a serious romance with his former flame (and her former pal) Hailey Baldwin, 21, in early June has been hard to endure. “She can’t stand looking at the photos of them,” says an insider. “She’s traumatized by it.” Moving away, she feels, will help her escape their toxic relationship for good.
The pressure to look thin and beautiful also has been overwhelming. After Dolce & Gabbana co-founder Stefano Gabbana cruelly branded her “ugly” in an Instagram comment in June, “Selena was so hurt,” says the insider. The singer-actress — who suffers from the autoimmune disease lupus, underwent a kidney transplant last year and has been to rehab multiple times for what she says are depression and anxiety issues — also realized her health is at risk the longer she stays in LA. “It’s hard to steer clear of the party scene there,” says the source. “Selena’s determined to avoid temptation. It’ll be easier if it’s not in her face.”
Now she’s looking for a new beginning. “Hollywood made her a star, but it’s also been hellish for her, mentally and physically,” says the insider. “Selena needs a fresh start — and that’s exactly what she’s going to get.”