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Selena Gomez has hit out at trolls on TikTok and in the process revealed that she has been diagnosed with the intestinal condition SIBO.
The actor and singer is currently promoting her new Netflix movie, Emilia Perez, which was called “one of the most divisive films” after it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, earlier this year.
The 32-year-old, who underwent surgery for a kidney transplant in 2017, has been forced to respond to trolls mocking her appearance at the premiere of the movie at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles.
In a since-deleted TikTok video, it was cruelly insinuated that because of the way she was standing on the red carpet, Gomez was trying to hide parts of her body from the cameras, reports Elle.
Responding to the speculation, the Only Murders in the Building star wrote in the comment of the video: “This makes me sick. I have SIBO in my small intestine. It flares up. I don’t care that I don’t look like a stick figure. I don’t have that body. End of story. No I am NOT a victim. I’m just human.”
SIBO, which stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, is a condition caused by an abnormal increase in bacteria in the small intestine which can cause bloating and stomach pain. If left untreated it can create more serious conditions such as the malabsorption of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies.
In 2013, Gomez revealed that she had undergone chemotherapy for lupus after being criticised for taking a break from her work. Lupus is an autoimmune disease which prompts the immune system to attack the body’s tissue and organs.
Speaking of her hiatus in 2013, she said: “I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”
Following her initial diagnosis at around 16 or 17 years old, the Disney Channel alum said she learned to understand that both negative and positive situations are meant to happen for a reason. “I don’t know where I adopted the attitude. But it’s helped me feel better in my life,” Gomez remarked, per Elle. “And the following is not a pity party. This is just how I think.”
When it comes to the physical health struggles she’s endured since discovering her lupus, Gomez considered the entire process to be “brutal” and she “didn’t enjoy it at all”. Amidst the pain and exhaustion, Gomez said she still found self-purpose in having the autoimmune disease.
“Cut to a few years later, I was able to visit a child in the hospital, and they would not look at me until I said I have lupus too,” she explained. “And that’s when I knew that that happened to me because I could do that moment.”
