Feiwel & Friends/MacmillanBecause she’s been so open about her personal struggles, Demi Lovato‘s been a role model for millions of fans. But Demi’s honesty has also inspired someone very close to her: her own mother.
Demi’s mom, Dianna De La Garza, has a new book, Falling with Wings: A Mother’s Story. It reveals her own battles with addiction, anxiety, anorexia, and domestic violence, and she says it was Demi who inspired her to finish it.
“Demi was speaking about the struggles that she had been through…and it was helping so many people,” Dianna tells ABC Radio. “And I just thought, “I wanna be a part of that. I wanna be one of those people that speaks out and helps others.”
Thanks to the book, she is.
“I’ve been getting so many tweets from people who say, “I live in a small rural town and I’m afraid to speak out…I don’t want people to know I’m struggling,'” Dianna says. “And after reading the book they feel more confident…so I’m really excited about that.”
Because she’s overcome so much, Demi told People magazine that her mom is her “hero.” Dianna says that means the world to her.
“We as moms, we don’t look at ourselves that way,” she says. “We just get up and we do things and we carry on, we take care of our kids — so for any kid to think their mom is a hero…is an amazing thing.”
And returning the compliment, Dianna says that nothing Demi’s accomplished in her career makes her prouder than the fact that she’s been sober for six years.
“Without her sobriety I don’t know that she would have a career,” notes Dianna. “I don’t know if she would have a future. I don’t have to worry about that now.”
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