Demi Lovato has learned to make peace with her body, but she isn’t calling her eating disorder recovery complete. The singer opened up about her lifelong relationship with food and the hard-won acceptance that changed how she saw herself.
At 34, Lovato said she no longer expected perfection from her recovery. Instead, she had found ways to manage difficult days while building a healthier relationship with food, cooking and her body image.
Demi Lovato says she doesn’t consider herself fully healed after years of eating disorder treatment
In an Oct. 14 episode of the Street You Grew Up On podcast, Lovato revealed she had attended treatment several times. She described recovery as an ongoing process rather than a finish line. “I think that food is going to be a battle for the rest of my life but it’s a manageable battle,” she explained.
Lovato also said cooking had helped her find freedom. Although she didn’t always love her body, she now approached it with acceptance instead of criticism. Her recent It’s Not That Deep tour offered another unexpected lesson. Lovato admitted gaining weight before the shows left her anxious about performing. She feared audiences would judge her appearance or criticize her online.
“I don’t want to go on stage. I’m terrified,” she recalled thinking. But she performed anyway, and the audience’s reaction challenged her fears. Fans stayed in their seats, celebrated her music and cried during emotional performances. “No one got up out of their seats and said, ‘She’s not a size 0,’” Lovato said. Their response reminded her that her worth wasn’t tied to a clothing size.
“I’m 34. My worth isn’t in my body,” she added. Married to musician Jordan “Jutes” Lutes since May 2025, Lovato said her loved ones valued her for far more than her appearance. She described herself as beautiful, but emphasized that being a good person mattered most.
Earlier this year, Lovato released her first cookbook, One Plate at a Time, hoping to support people navigating disordered eating. In a March interview with Us Weekly, she encouraged fans to believe recovery was possible. “You deserve to fuel your body, nourish your body,” she said. “You’re worthy of recovery.” Her message reflected the progress she celebrated without pretending the struggle had disappeared.
