Selena Gomez underwent chemotherapy for lupus

Selena Gomez underwent chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with lupus two years ago. The 23-year-old singer was forced to step away from the spotlight in late 2013 in order to undergo the aggressive form of treatment, also used to kill cancer cells, to stomp out the symptoms of her life-threatening autoimmune disease. Speaking to Billboard magazine, she said: "I was diagnosed with lupus, and I've been through chemotherapy. That's what my break was really about. I could've had a stroke." The 'Come & Get It' hitmaker's diagnosis meant she had to abruptly axe the Australian and Asian leg of her world tour in December 2013, but rumours soon began to surface suggesting she'd actually checked into rehab for addiction. She explained: "I'm so nice to everybody and everyone is so vile to me. I've been working since I was 7. I've been a UNICEF ambassador since I was 17. It's so disappointing that I've become a tabloid story." However, the brunette beauty believes the negative comments and false accusations about her personal life "motivated" her to pen her new studio album 'Revival.' She said: "The hate motivated me. This is my time. I've deserved this. I earned it. This is all me." Lupus is a potentially fatal disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue leading to inflammation in many parts of the body. The common symptoms include pain or swelling in the joints, muscle pain, fever, chest pain, hair loss, mouth/nasal ulcers, facial rashes and extreme fatigue. It's believed 240,000 Americans have been diagnosed with lupus, with the illness mainly affecting young women, according to the National Institute of Health.