Demi Lovato opens up
**Warning: The following article contains details of rape, sexual violence and drug overdose**
Demi Lovato's YouTube docuseries Dancing with the Devil premiered at the SXSW Film Festival this week.
Among other things, the singer bravely opened up about the time she was raped in her teens.
The actress was part of The Disney Channel at the time.
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As quoted by People, Demi said, "I lost my virginity in a rape."
The singer had been, "hooking up," with her alleged attacker at the time.
However, she made it clear to them that she wasn't ready.
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As quoted by TMZ, she added, "that didn’t matter to them, they did it anyways."
The Camp Rock star continued, "And I internalised it and I told myself it was my fault because I still went in the room with him."
"I still hooked up with him."
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"I was part of that Disney crowd..."
Demi explained, as per People, "I was part of that Disney crowd that publicly said they were waiting until marriage."
"I didn't have the romantic first time. That was not it for me - that sucked."
"Then I had to see this person all the time so I stopped eating and coped in other ways."
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Demi told some adults what had happened, but nothing was done.
"They never got taken out of the movie they were in," she said.
"I always kept it quiet because I've always had something to say."
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"I don't know, I'm tired of opening my mouth."
A month later, the artist said she called her alleged abuser on the phone in a bid to, "take control," of the situation.
"All it did was make me feel worse," she said.
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Demi's 2018 hospitalisation
Unfortunately, this isn't Demi's only experience with sexual assault.
On the night of her 2018 overdose, the singer said she was, "taken advantage of."
Demi's friend, Sirah Mitchell, revealed she had been given heroin, "laced with fentanyl."
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"He also ended up getting her really high and leaving her for dead," Mitchell said of Demi's dealer.
The singer recalled, "When they found me, I was naked, blue. I was literally left for dead after he took advantage of me."
"When I woke up in the hospital, they asked if we had had consensual sex."
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She recalled, "There was one flash that I had of him on top of me."
"I saw that flash and I said yes."
"It wasn't until a month after the overdose that I realised, 'You weren't in any state of mind to make a consensual decision.'"
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Demi's YouTube documentary Dancing with the Devil lands March 23rd. Watch the trailer here.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by sexual violence you can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 778 888.
