Demi Lovato opens up about trust issues, ageing and the real Simon Cowell

Demi Lovato admits she has severe trust issues, but refuses to be cynical. Speaking exclusively to Company magazine she states:

"A couple of months before I went to rehab, I had a birthday party and there were a couple of hundred people there. It was full of people who I considered my closest friends. When I turned my phone on after being in rehab for three months, I expected lots of text messages and phone calls. I had four texts. That was a wake-up call. I have severe trust issues but I try not be jaded."

Speaking further about her true friends, she reveals she doesn't have many and prefers them to come from outside the showbiz world:

"I don't have loads of friends. I used to, but then I realised, do any of them actually care? Now I have people who, if I break my leg in the middle of the night, they'll come to the hospital with me. Or they'll answer the phone at 4am if I need them.

"Most of my friends are not in the industry. I don't like that lifestyle, the paparazzi, going to Hollywood places. I stick to my neighbourhood and to my closest friendships."

Commenting on another very important relationship in her life, Demi opens up about her recently discovered older sister:

"I don't have a relationship with my birth father so I never knew about her. It was really funny because we never talked throughout my whole life and, when we shared our life stories, I found out we had similar lives – we'd been through the same things."

"I think it's really interesting that God has put each other in our lives. Now I have a niece who is 14 and hopefully I can be there for her if she has to deal with any issues that I've dealt with. I asked my sister why she never reached out to me before and she said, "I just never wanted you to feel like I wanted anything from you. So I've been waiting to see if you wanted a relationship." I respected that so much that it made me cry. I had a sister who was waiting for a relationship but didn't want to force things. She'd already felt for me before we'd even had contact."

As for that special man, Demi quashes the Niall Horan romance rumours:

"I'm so tired of that! It never happened. Niall's a really sweet guy and I definitely consider him a friend, but it's never crossed that line… He's a sweet kid and we have an understanding, but we're just friends."

Discussing being a role model for young women, she admits it's something she initially struggled with:

"Yes [role models are more positive nowadays]. Ten years ago it wasn't the case. You had a bunch of sickly thin starlets running around Hollywood and models were unbelievably thin, which I think promoted an unhealthy, unrealistic goal. That set up a lot of young women for failure. Now, thankfully, we have beautiful women in the industry. But I have to question what people consider as 'role models'. I used to think I didn't choose to be a role model, but time went by and I was like, "tough shit, you're a role model whether you like it or not". So I learnt to take it seriously because my actions influence other people."

She's also learnt that fame comes at a price – ageing!

"I've lived a lot of lives. Fame adds ten years to you. Then you add on the other things that I've dealt with, I feel like a 40-year-old sometimes!"

Never one to rest her laurels, could a future fashion line be in the pipeline?

"I love Sir Philip [Green]. He's charming and has a really good heart. He's very smart and knows exactly what he's doing. Right now, I'm focused on music and touring, so I think it'd be a lot to take on fashion as well. You never know though, I'm kind of like a machine. I just keep on going."

"If I were to do anything with fashion, it would have to have meaning behind it – and to make women feel happy whatever body shape they are."

Sharing her wisdom as a judge on X Factor USA, she reveals a softer side to Simon Cowell that very few get to see:

"He's a grump. An old fart. But he has a heart that nobody gets to see. If he walked into this room, he'd treat everybody the same – he shakes everyone's hand."

When asked about another great Brit, Kate Middleton, Demi is appreciative of how much freedom she has in comparison:

"I sometimes look at my life and think, I have so much freedom. I can't imagine having the attention she has. She didn't choose this lifestyle, she just fell in love. But I admire her for her strength, she seems like a sweetheart. I want to meet her and ask her what it's like to be princess."

The full interview appears in the June issue of Company magazine, on sale 8th May.

For behind-the-scenes images and footage, please go to www.company.co.uk/demi-lovato