Demi Lovato’s ‘Dancing with the Devil’ docuseries: 5 things we learned from the first half of the YouTube doc
'Sober' singer speaks openly about what led to her near-fatal overdose in 2018
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Demi Lovato lets all of her walls down in YouTube's docuseries, "Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil," which premiered its first two episodes on Tuesday.
The next two episodes will drop on March 30 and April 6, and will feature even more interviews with her family, friends, and close team members -- all of whom rallied around the 28-year-old pop star after her near-fatal overdose in July 2018.
Here’s a breakdown of what we learned from the first half of the tell-all series:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lovato's Father
Lovato said she felt guilt over her father Patrick's death even though they were estranged. She alleged her father was an addict, abused her mother, and had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Patrick died in 2013 from cancer but the date/time of his death is unknown. His body wasn't discovered for over a week and the family couldn't have an open casket because his body was too decomposed.
DEMI LOVATO WANTED TO 'QUIT' SOBRIETY AFTER BEING CALLED 'MORBIDLY OBESE' FOLLOWING 2018 OVERDOSE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That was the fear I always had for him, that he would end up alone. And he did. He died alone," she said.
Demi Lovato said she was 'introduced to heroin and crack cocaine' before her July 2018 overdose. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for OBB Media)
Food Struggles
Lovato said she started competing in beauty pageants at a young age, which warped her relationship with food and beauty.
Lovato's eating disorder relapse began during her "Tell Me You Love Me" tour in 2018 by over-exercising and controlling her food.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DEMI LOVATO REVEALS SHE WAS LEGALLY BLIND FOLLOWING HER 2018 OVERDOSE
While on tour, people around her had to be drug tested regularly and were allegedly instructed by Lovato's former team to be "careful" about what and how they ate around her.
Sobriety
Two weeks after she had celebrated six years of being sober, Lovato broke her sobriety. She ended up drinking red wine and calling up a drug dealer in March 2018.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’m surprised I didn’t OD that night," she admitted in the series. Lovato later went to a party and ran into her old drug dealer. That night she combined meth, molly, coke, weed, more alcohol, and OxyContin.
DEMI LOVATO SAYS SHE FEELS 'FREE' OF HER 'DEMONS' 2 YEARS AFTER HER OVERDOSE: 'THANK YOU GOD'
Two weeks after that night, Lovato said she was "introduced to heroin and crack cocaine."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In summer 2018, she came back to Los Angeles after touring in Europe (where she was drinking) and began to heavily use drugs again.
The Overdose
On July 23, 2018, Lovato celebrated a friend's birthday party but no one knew she was using crack cocaine and heroin.
Lovato returned home with some friends and after they left around 5:30 am she called up her drug dealer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Demi Lovato revealed she suffered permanent brain damage, vision impairment, and can no longer drive after overdose. (Christopher Polk/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
On the morning of July 24th, Lovato was discovered by her now-former assistant. The singer was naked, covered in her own vomit, and turning blue.
The assistant alerted Lovato's head of security and later snuck away to call 911 which saved Lovato's life.
After being administered Narcan by paramedics, Lovato was rushed to the hospital where she had severely low oxygen levels and had three strokes and a heart attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DEMI LOVATO REVEALS SHE HAD A HEART ATTACK, 3 STROKES AFTER NEAR-FATAL OVERDOSE
Lovato revealed she suffered permanent brain damage, vision impairment, and can no longer drive. She said she woke up in the hospital and couldn't see.
The singer said she wasn't trying to overdose and if her assistant had waited for another five to 10 minutes, Lovato would have died.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sexual Assault
Lovato alleges that she was sexually assaulted by her drug dealer the night she overdosed after he gave her "aftermarket pills" which were laced with Fentanyl.
DEMI LOVATO SAYS SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY HER DRUG DEALER THE NIGHT SHE OVERDOSED
She said he left her for dead and she was not able to consent to sex while high.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That kind of trauma doesn’t go away overnight," she said. "And it doesn’t go away in the first few months of rehab either. That’s something that sticks with you for a while after."
If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.