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D-FW stars get real: Demi Lovato celebrates 5 years sober, Selena Gomez talks therapy

Pop stars Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez have a lot in common. Perhaps the most coincidental thing is that they're both from Dallas-Fort Worth, though that set the stage for their simultaneous rise through Barney and Friends and the Disney Channel.

What's most compelling, however, is they've become two of the most transparent pop culture figures today, using super stardom to advocate for causes dear to their hearts -- and personal struggles.

This week both women opened up about their journeys to leading a healthy life.

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Lovato, who is from Dallas, celebrated five years of sobriety. 

"It's been quite the journey," she wrote on Instagram. "So many times I wanted to relapse but sat on my hands and begged God to relieve my obsession."

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Lovato had a tumultuous upbringing, the daughter of a mother with an eating disorder and father with alcoholism and bipolar disorder. In 2010, after making it big as a singer and actress, Lovato left a tour to check into rehab for bulimia and self-mutilation. After that, she made a point to get sober.

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Lovato is also reportedly bipolar and an advocate for mental health awareness. In 2016, she became co-owner of the rehab facility in Los Angeles where she received treatment.

This week, Selena Gomez appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine. In the interview, she addressed her high-profile 2016 sabbatical, which coincidentally happened mid-tour.

"As soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram, I sort of freaked out," Gomez said. "My self-esteem was shot ... Basically I felt I wasn't good enough, wasn't capable."

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According to Vogue, she's become an advocate for Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a technique original developed to treat borderline personality disorder but is now used to treat other disorders, such as depression and substance abuse. Gomez also suffers from lupus.

"DBT has completely changed my life," Gomez told Vogue. "I wish more people would talk about therapy. We girls, we're taught to be almost too resilient, to be strong and sexy and cool and laid-back, the girl who's down. We also need to feel allowed to fall apart."

Harnessing her struggles in a positive way, Gomez recently donated money to the University of Southern California 's Keck School of Medicine to fund lupus research.

Let's hear it for the ladies!