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Selena Gomez: Elle Cover Girl Shares Personal Memories of Growing Up Poor

Posted on Jun 7th 2012 3:30PM by Contessa Gayles

With a successful music career and multiple upcoming film projects to her name, at just 19 years old, Selena Gomez is at the top of her game. And let's not forget she's got international teen heartthrob Justin Bieber on her arm, too! But life wasn't always so rosy for Gomez. In the latest issue of Elle magazine, the singer/actress reveals a time in the not-so-distant past when her single mom struggled to make ends meet to support their cash-strapped family.

Selena's parents divorced when the star was just 5 years old. Suddenly, the only child and her mom, a stage actress, found themselves in the grips of poverty. "I can remember about seven times when our car got stuck on the highway because we'd run out of gas money," Gomez confessed.

Still, Selena insists her mom made sure to educate and expose her baby girl to some of the finer things in life. "[But my mom still] saved up to take me to concerts. She took me to museums, aquariums, to teach me about the world, about what's real."

Thanks to her mom's insistence on exposing her daughter to culture -- and a prophetic given name from the late Mexican singer, Selena -- Gomez went from "Barney & Friends" at 7 to Disney fame and fortune by 14. And the rest is history! She recalled being inspired as a little girl after seeing Jennifer Lopez portray her namesake in the biopic, "Selena." "I made a bustier out of a bathing suit that I dyed black," she admitted. "I put glue and glitter all over it and I wouldn't take it off."

Now, of course, the superstar can afford her very own glamorous couture bustiers -- like that stunning, gilded one by Dolce & Gabbana pictured above. You've come a long way, Selena!

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Around The Web:

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Esther Kline

she's always been great! I love her moves and her pictorials with bieber bit.ly/MhrA4T

June 14 2012 at 12:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Dennis

as Billy explained I didnt know that a stay at home mom able to get paid
$7613 in a few weeks on the computer. have you read this webpage N u t t y R i c h DOTcom

June 13 2012 at 9:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Alyce Gaines

I think she's great! She will make it big together with jb! LazyCash43.com

June 11 2012 at 10:56 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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June 11 2012 at 2:36 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Wwhatever747

I'd take her in a moment, neat looking gal. Enjoy life as god has given her the opportunity to do so in meek ways.

June 11 2012 at 1:46 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply

Robert G.

She looks like she is still storing nuts in her cheeks

June 10 2012 at 11:05 PM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down Reply

frankieblue109

Sorry for a thrid post but this one has really got me mad ! She sounds just like my sister. I am disabled , cant walk more then 10 feet and barly take care of myself. Yet here I am supporting my dying father by begging people on Ebay for 10 or 20 dollars to buy my items and Thank God for it otherwise we would go hungry. While she spends over 40,000 on a pool, over 200,000 on stonework and home improvements, 3-4 vacations a year to turks , jamaca ,skiing and tells me that our dying father is not her "Responsiblity".

June 09 2012 at 5:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

frankieblue109

If you ran out of gas why didnt you just bury "Barney" in the ground for a couple of million years and fill the car back up ?

June 09 2012 at 5:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

frankieblue109

Would you like some cheese with that Whine ! What a tuff life this poor girl has had. Set for life at 19 and her worst memory is running out of gas ? Try reading some real hardships from the post put up here. Why are you not still stuck on that highway ? Because I am sure you or your mom shook your back sides and had someone give it to you. Try getting a REAL JOB !
ps- Love the post about "mommy putting the little girl to work".

June 09 2012 at 4:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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With a successful music career and multiple upcoming film projects to her name, at just 19 years old, Selena Gomez is at the top of her game.

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