Selena Gomez 'not ashamed' of her bipolar disorder

Selena Gomez has insisted she is "not ashamed" of her bipolar disorder.

The 30-year-old pop star opened up about her mental health in her My Mind and Me documentary towards the end of last year and has now explained that being able to speak out about the "chemical imbalance" in her brain has left her feeling more "free" after disclosing her diagnosis.

She said: "I'm just so used to censoring myself that it was (A) me wanting to let go and (B) if they're telling me to be quiet about it, that's not good because that's genuinely not the place I'm in anymore.  

"Maybe it was weird and uncomfortable for other people, and obviously, I was worried, but I think it finally allowed me to start being open about everything.

"It's not that I was kind of sad — I actually have things that are chemically imbalanced in my brain, and I need to understand what that is, take care of it, and nurture it. I'm not ashamed of it. I don't ever feel, even for five seconds, that I'm crazy. 

"My thoughts tend to ruminate, but it's up to me to be proud of who I am and to take care of myself."

The actress shot to fame when she played Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place in the late 2000s and went on to add that even though she wasn't a "wild child", she had to be mindful of what she said during her child star days and doesn't feel as if anyone should be stopped about saying anything.

She told Vanity Fair: "I don't want people to ever have anybody tell them, 'Don't say that because it'll seem bad. You won't get this job or that boy or that girl or whatever.' I guess I was rebelling. I wasn't a wild child by any means, but I was on Disney, so I had to make sure not to say 'What the hell?' in front of anyone. 

"It's stuff that I was also putting on myself to be the best role model I could be. Now I think being the best role model is being honest, even with the ugly and complicated parts of yourself."

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