Months after Selena Gomez revealed she had undergone a kidney transplant with the help of donor and best friend Francia Raisa, it's now reported the 25-year-old singer almost died following the procedure.
In a new interview with W magazine, Raisa opened up about the serious health complications Gomez suffered during her kidney transplant last summer, revealing she 'could have' died.
'Recovery was hard,' she recalled. 'I didn't want to eat, I didn't want to drink anything. Selena did have a complication, too. A few hours after our surgery, I woke up and had a text from her that said, "I'm really scared."
'My kidney was very active, and when it turned I broke an artery. They had to take her into emergency surgery and get a vein from her leg and build a new artery to keep my kidney in place. She could have died.'
In October, Gomez opened up about the ordeal and revealed one of her kidneys had 'flipped' inside her body, resulting in another six-hour surgery, while a normal kidney transplant takes just two hours.
'There was so much pain there,' she recalled on the Today show.
Actress Raisa also admitted that she let the 'Bad Liar' singer decide if and when to reveal her transplant publicly.
'We didn't want to tell anybody because recovery was very hard for us, and we went through a depression at the time. We kind of just wanted to be normal and not have that attention on us,' she admitted.
'I really left it up to her. I've never had anything personal come out about me before. I've dated very famous people, and no one knows because I'm very private. I was like, "Did you have to be famous?"'
Now, the Grown-ish star has recovered to full health and taking each day as it comes.
'2018 I am just enjoying,' she continued. 'The show is a hit. My health is good. I have a new home, I have an amazing new boyfriend that I met on set. I went back to dance class for the first time last week. Now I'm more motivated and inspired than ever.'
The news of Gomez's near death experience comes amid rumours she has gone on a break with her on/off boyfriend, Justin Bieber.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
