I'm here with Diana DeLaGarza she is the
mother of superstar Demi Lovato whose
powerful new memoir falling with wing to
the candid look at the struggle to fame
in the toll of addiction and mental
illness an incredible redemption and
love that's possible with the help of
your family Diana thank you for joining
me in the name of your book is called
falling with wings so what did that
title mean to you how did you come up
with that the very last sentence of the
book makes a statement it says despite
how far and how hard we had fallen as a
family we had restored our wings through
therapy and we're able to soar toward a
brighter future as a family together and
it seemed that you had it all together
you have kids who were successful and on
their way up in entertainment business
and you thought success with like a
formula stardom led to money and
happiness and all those things but what
was the reality of it I was totally
wrong on everything that I thought in
the beginning I think more the reality
for me today is being mentally and
physically healthy plus being able to
work a job that you truly love every day
of your life that's what I think really
equals happiness and in the right that
yes they agree that how did this thing
and writing writing a book is one of the
most personal things you can do yeah
what gave you the courage to share this
with everybody well I think Demi is the
one that gave me the courage to because
she was being so open and honest and
vocal about her struggles and I mean I
saw how much it was helping the people
everywhere and you know I thought when I
was writing my book I thought I want to
be honest and open until the whole story
and I want to be a part of that so
that's why I did it and what do you
think triggered some of your personal
struggles I mean it's hard to pinpoint
exactly what brings out an eating
disorder or you know I think that
possibly being brought up in a very
strict environment
I kind of set goals that were really
almost unattainable for myself at a
young age you know trying to be perfect
and keep everyone happy and I think that
my eating disorder was sort of a way to
gain back some of that control that I
felt like I didn't have and that makes
sense to people who have eating
disorders so I think that you know there
were also other things that happened to
me along the way
in you know in my first marriage and all
the way through to the time I went into
treatment and you say in the book
speaking of treatment you say in the
book that you hardly recognized the
woman who went into treatment in 2011 so
so tell us about then versus now I think
the woman that went into treatment when
I finally did accept help I think she
was just a really broken tired you know
just a really sick girl and now our
lives are so different
I mean we're healthy we're happy we're
still going to therapy you know I have a
great relationship with food just all
the things that we've been working on I
think that that's the strong person I am
today and you talked about getting
through this with family and with love
yeah and and we have someone here who is
family who does love you want to come
out and talk with us as well so we're
gonna welcome out your daughter demi
lovato
[Applause]
always your mom I gotta get good things
right and Dimmie thank you thank you for
joining us it's this morning with your
mother and you you even said it life has
changed so much since your mother enter
treatment 2011 and how they changed for
you what came to have you seen in your
mom the changes that I've seen in my mom
she's happier and she's calmer she is
just suffer with anxiety and you know
when she self medicated she was more
depressed and it and she can't had a
cloud over her and now she glows and she
is just so cheerful and she's the most
positive person I know and you you've
been outspoken about your own challenges
with mental health and how did it feel
for you to watch your mom share her
struggles with everyone it feels I feel
very proud of her you know I know it's
something that's not easy firsthand
being somebody that's struggled with
mental illness and being open and
talking about it I know that it's not
easy to be open with the world and for
her to share her story is something that
I'm extremely proud of and we go what I
congratulate you on six years sober
and in order to do that you got to start
from somewhere so if there's someone out
there who's struggling with addiction or
mental illness what is your advice for
them to get a start and get making
themselves better I think the very first
thing that you have to do is admit that
you have a problem and then you have to
ask for help so I you know and you also
have to know that it's possible I one of
the reasons why I've stayed sober is
because I want people to know that it is
possible for you to get help and to
recover it's something that's very
important that people know that you're
able to ask for help these days and
people will help you and in dying - do
you have any advice for anyone who's out
there struggling so you know I have to
go pick up this book fall in with wing
if I can relate to that you have any
advice for them as well I would simply
say reach out and get help wherever you
can from family from friends from you
know community programs whatever you can
do reach out and get help because it is
a good thing and we've all you've
acknowledged before that sometimes the
resources out aren't there for a lot of
the people a lot of people to get help
you know Jimmy you were here a few weeks
ago and you talked about working with
cast we're just trying to help people
get help help them get assistance at
your concerts Robin Roberts is even
going to speak at a conference yeah so
tell us a little bit more about that so
cast is a treatment center that I co-own
and we have brought it on the road so
before the concert it's a couple hours
before if you sign up and you're going
to the concert you can come to this
motivational speaking and I'm so
grateful that Robin is going to be doing
it she is somebody that's so
inspirational and I love her to death so
I'm very grateful that she's gone
applaud and agree on all those things
and I must say that with Santa Diana
it's very personal to write a book and
put it all out there and to do it to
help other people and I got to say we're
so grateful for both of you for coming
here for sharing this and Diana you and
I Bonica you were a Dallas Cowboys
Cheerleader we've got [ __ ] NFL thing and
you let me know that and I gotta say I'm
so proud of both of you and
congratulation Jimmy with wings is out
now make sure you go pick it up well hey
there GMA fans Robin Roberts here thanks
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