Demi Lovato used her engagement as proof that she was doing well following her 2018 drug overdose, the singer explained in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Last July, the "Sorry Not Sorry" artist announced she and actor Max Ehrich were engaged after mere months of dating. Then, just two months later, following reports that Demi's family and friends didn't approve of the relationship, the couple split up.
"I really had myself fooled, because it was the safe and expected thing," she told the magazine. "Obviously I cared deeply about the person, but there was something inside of me that was like, 'I have to prove to the world that I'm okay.' Now that I'm not engaged or married and I'm okay, I'm like, 'Wow. Isn't that so much more empowering?' It's not this false sense of security."
She added that her massive engagement ring, which was reportedly worth about $1 million, "made it really real."
"The second it was off, I was like, 'You know what? I'm good. I don't need that,'" the 28 year old continued. "I just don't need an object on my finger to make me feel like I've got my s--t together. It looks like stability, but it doesn't mean that it is."
Earlier this month, Demi told Glamour that ending her engagement to Max helped her realize how queer she really is.
The "Cool For the Summer" singer previously opened up about dating women, as well as men, in her 2017 YouTube documentary Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated.
"When I started getting older, I started realizing how queer I really am," the Disney Channel alum explained. "This past year, I was engaged to a man, and when it didn't work, I was like, 'This is a huge sign.' I thought I was going to spend my life with someone. Now that I wasn't going to, I felt this sense of relief that I could live my truth."