Justin Bieber Opens Up About That Selena Gomez Split: "Your Full Identity Can't Be in That Person"

Wise words.

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber
(Image credit: Getty)

Update, 9/28: While Selena Gomez might not know the future with her ex Justin Bieber, it seems they've both learned *quite* a lot about love from their relationship. The expert car karaoke singer opened up to Complex about his relationship (and split) with Selena, and it's full of (surprisingly) some seriously introspective stuff.


"I moved in with my girlfriend when I was 18. Started my own life with her. It was a marriage kind of thing. Living with a girl, it was just too much at that age," he said. "We were so in love. Nothing else mattered. We were all about each other. But when it's like that and you get your value from that, people will always disappoint you. Your girl or your dude, they're always going to disappoint you. Your full identity can't be in that person. My identity was in her. Her identity was in me. When stuff would happen, I would lose my freakin' mind, and she would lose her mind, and we would fight so hard because we were so invested in each other."

Truer words, Biebs. Truer words.

Update, 9/17: Another way to show that you're a grown-ass woman? Admitting that you don't know what will happen in the future. In the newest issue of Elle, the singer opens up about her relationship with Justin Bieber, saying that it is—indeed—over, but that they're genuinely friends. As for a reconciliation? Gomez has, simply, no idea. 

"I don't know!" Gomez states. 

And that's that.

Original story, 8/25: In a new interview with the UKSunday TimesSelena Gomez opened up about her life and her fame—including on-again off-again relationship with Justin Bieber. "I didn't think I was doing anything bad by falling in love," she told the magazine of their much-maligned coupledom.

Teen stars in love are an obvious, perhaps too-easy target for gossip and criticism—especially when there are purity rings (and then the conspicuous absence of purity rings) involved.

"I'm not embarrassed to say that," she told the magazine about asking her dad to buy her a purity ring when she was a teenager. "I'm also not embarrassed to say that the ring has come off. I got it was I was 13 and I respect so much what it represented, but it isn't for everyone."

To which we say two things: 

1) Can you imagine being a celebrity who has to speak about her ex-boyfriends (and sexual exploits, or lack thereof) forever and ever amen? Most likely with a red carpet picture attached? That sucks. 

2) Brava, Gomez. You do you. 

Samantha Leal
Senior Editor

Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.