Demi Lovato Discusses 'Purging' During 'Camp Rock' Filming In New Documentary

In her latest documentary, "Child Star," Demi Lovato explores the true impact of growing up in the limelight.

The Hulu Original, which includes candid conversations with notable figures such as Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa, Kenan Thompson, Christina Ricci, and more, weaves together past and present footage of these celebrities discussing their experiences with early fame.

Demi Lovato, specifically, recalled the moment her "Camp Rock" costar Alyson Stoner followed her into the bathroom because she suspected her of "purging."

When filming her hit Disney Channel movie "Camp Rock," which also starred The Jonas Brothers -- Nick, Joe, and Kevin -- Demi Lovato was struggling with addiction, something that her costar Alyson Stoner caught on to.

"You followed me into the bathroom because I was purging," Demi recalled when speaking to Alyson during her documentary. "And you followed me and talked to me, and I was really grateful that no one shunned me or shamed me and you were very understanding."

"A moment I remember, “Oh my God, somebody knows. F-ck," she continued. "But I was also really grateful that you were there for me.”

Despite her addiction struggles during that time, Demi said that she had "so much fun filming 'Camp Rock.'"

"We called it 'Disney High' because we were dating each other, and there were people who didn't like each other, and we were all the same age, and none of us were in high school, so that was our experience of it," Demi said.

Demi Lovato launched her career as a child actress and singer, gaining fame with her lead role in Disney Channel's "Camp Rock." This success led to roles in "Princess Protection Program" and her own series, "Sonny With a Chance," as well as the critically acclaimed album "Don’t Forget."

“I was filled with gratitude, and there was this sense of wonder and excitement,” she recalled of her teen years when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter. “It was very much the honeymoon phase of my career, right before the train got moving in a way where I couldn’t pump the brakes.”

Alongside solo tours and collaborations with the Jonas Brothers, Demi faced significant pressure and mental health struggles during this time, issues she has since addressed in her advocacy work. “I think I’d passed the threshold of what I could withstand emotionally and physically,” she added. “And I didn’t realize that child stardom could be traumatic — and it isn’t traumatic for everyone, but for me, it was."

Demi’s issues with addiction started around the time of her rise to fame with "Camp Rock" and "Sonny With a Chance."

“I couldn’t go 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine, and I would bring it on airplanes,” Demi said in a 2013 interview with The Huffington Post. “I would smuggle it basically and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep, and I would do it right there.”

By her late teens, she encountered severe issues with substance abuse, openly addressing her struggles with bulimia, self-harm, and addiction to drugs and alcohol.

"At 17 is when it kind of was the first time, like, I tried coke and loved it too much,” she said, per Us Weekly, of the time around the release of her Disney Channel original movie “Camp Rock.” “That kind of bled into me going to treatment right after I turned 18.”

“My dad was an addict and an alcoholic and I guess I always searched for what he found in drugs and alcohol because it fulfilled him and he chose that over a family," she added.

In 2010, Demi entered a treatment facility for issues related to her mental health and addiction. She sought help for bulimia, self-harm, and substance abuse, completing a stint in a rehab center. After treatment, she took a break from her career to focus on her health and recovery.

Despite her efforts to recover, Demi faced several relapses. In 2018, she suffered a near-fatal overdose, which led to another period of intensive treatment.

"Child Star" is currently streaming on Hulu.