Selena Gomez is taking a break.
The singer confirmed via statement last month that her Lupus diagnosis has been taking its toll of late and that she simply isn't well enough to continue her world tour right now.
"As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," Gomez said at the time, adding:
"I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges."
She went on to thank her fans and explain her motivation for this hiatus:
"I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off.
"Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best.
"I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues."
Simple enough, right?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that has no cure and most definitely makes people more susceptible to fatigue and illness.
HOWEVER...
... within days of Selena's announcement, sources began to doubt her story.
One Radar Online report claimed that Gomez uses the disease as an "excuse" all the time and that she's simply feeling "alone" and sad these days.
One does not need to think very hard about the reason why.
Gomez got into a public beef with ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber a few weeks ago, calling the singer out after he threatened to make his Instagram account private because fans were insulting his new girlfriend, Sofia Richie.
In response to Bieber telling his followers to leave Richie alone, Gomez left a comment that read as follows:
“If you can’t handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol. It should be special between you two only.
"Don’t be mad at your fans. They love you and supported you before anyone ever did.”
Sources say she later tried to apologize to Bieber, but he turned his back on his former lover.
As a result of this argument with Bieber, an insider tells In Touch Weekly that Gomez is in a "free fall," explaining:
“Her problems are a combination of drinking, partying and her Lupus.”
Yes, the illness may absolutely be playing a role in Selena's ongoing issues, but this tabloid goes as far as to say Gomez is suffering from a "meltdown."
And another tabloid agrees.
Selena "hates being single, and seeing pictures of Justin and Sofia [Richie] rubbed salt in the wound," according to Life & Style.
It certainly is true that Bieber and Richie have not been hiding their romance.
The former may have deleted his Instagram account, but not before peppering it with photos of himself and his new squeeze.
Bieber and Richie have also been spotted out and about on many occasions, clearly very smitten.
"One day she's saying she doesn't want 'negativity' in her life, meaning Justin, and the next she's saying she wants to be with him again," the source tells Life & Style.
"It's very chaotic. Everyone is worried about her."
Selena has said in many interviews that she's done talking about Bieber. She wants to move on. She wants to be known as her own person...
... but it's clear she can't truly do so.
According to In Touch Weekly, Bieber is aware that Selena is in a bad place.
There's only so much he can do about it, however.
“Justin and his family are praying that she gets the help she needs,” a source close to the singer alleges.
“They just want Selena to get well.”
We all do. Hang in there, SG. Everything will be okay in the end.