Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and other former Disney Channel stars are having a glo-up moment

Former Disney Channel stars are having a major glo-up moment.

As someone who was an avid Disney Channel viewer, I watched as these stars emerged onto the scene more than a decade ago only to face challenges throughout their careers. Now, within the past year, they've come back full circle.

No longer are they budding stars on your favorite preteen shows, they’re adults who have been through the wringer and back.

Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and others are sharing their battles with illnesses (both physical and mental) and relatable relationship troubles. By doing so, these stars are taking charge of their narrative and turning struggles into success. 

Demi Lovato

Lovato has had one of the biggest comebacks of the year. She was hospitalized for a drug overdose in 2018 after she broke six years of sobriety. She's also been vocal about suffering from an eating disorder and mental illness.

Now, she's back with a voice stronger than ever.

Lovato, who got her start on Disney Channel’s “Sonny with a Chance” in 2009, wowed with a flawless and confident national anthem performance at the Super Bowl in February. A week earlier, on Jan. 26, she got a standing ovation at the Grammy Awards for her performance of new song "Anyone." The stunning set was her first live performance since her hospitalization. 

Lovato is continuing her upward trend,using her past setbacks to fuel her climb, teasing her new song "I Love Me" while getting real about the night of her relapse during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" last week.

"I realized that over time as the things with the eating disorder were getting bad, over the years it progressively got worse," she explained. "It led me to being really, really unhappy. My bulimia got really bad ... I asked for help and I didn't receive the help that I needed."

She took responsibility for her choices and encouraged others that they can also get through their challenges.

"Ultimately, I made the decisions that got me to where I am today. It was my actions that put me in the position I'm in," she said. "I think it's important that I sit here on this stage and tell you at home or you in the audience or you right here that if you do go through this, you yourself can get through it ... as long as you take the responsibility, you can move past it and learn to love yourself the way you deserve to be loved."

Her latest track, "I Love Me," shares the same message of love, admitting in her lyrics: "I'm my own worst critic."

Demi Lovato on her relapse:'I didn't receive the help that I needed'

Selena Gomez

Another Disney darling, Gomez is no longer the “Wizard of Waverly Place.” Now, she's a goddess of self-love and empowerment.

Gomez has had a difficult couple of years, from public breakups with Justin Bieber and The Weeknd to health struggles. In 2015, she revealed a lupus diagnosis, which resulted in her needing a kidney transplant as part of her ongoing treatment. She’s also been vocal about experiencing anxiety and depression.

In January, she showed she's risen above these challenges when she released "Rare," an album critics say is better than all her previous projects. Vulture said it's "almost inarguably Selena Gomez’s best album" while Rolling Stone described it as "an act of divine ruthlessness."

“Rare” takes her listeners through a journey of reclaiming independence and strength, all with beats that make you want to dance. The album also acts as a guidebook to moving on, with not-so-subtle hints of her past romances with fellow musicians.

'Rare' review:Selena Gomez's album is your new guidebook to moving on, with echoes of her past romances

Miley Cyrus

Though she may be blonde again, Cyrus has left her “Hannah Montana” days in the past as an ever-evolving artist that has seen her fair share of lows. Most recently, the singer went through a divorce with her longtime love Liam Hemsworth.

Instead of letting it break her, Cyrus came out with her head held high, releasing a powerful song seemingly about the split titled "Slide Away" with lyrics like "Once upon a time, it was paradise / Once upon a time, I was paralyzed / Think I'm gonna miss these harbor lights / But it's time to let it go." She also took to Twitter to deny rumors she cheated on Hemsworth.

When she was spotted getting close with Kaitlynn Carter and now-boyfriend Cody Simpson after the breakup, she didn't take criticisms lying down, either.

"I know the public feels invested in my past relationship, because they saw it thru from the beginning... But I'm grown now and make choices as an adult," Cyrus wrote on Twitter, calling out the societal double-standard of men not getting slut-shamed for dating around. "Get used to me dating, this is where I am at!"

Cyrus' latest triumph? Walking for Tom Ford in the designer’s Fall/Winter 2020 show during New York Fashion Week in February. 

More:Miley Cyrus, J.Lo, Renee Zellweger flock to Tom Ford's pre-Oscar fashion show in L.A.

Jonas Brothers and more

Though these ladies are leading the way as prime examples of Disney-kids-turned-thriving-artists, they're not the only ones. 

The Jonas Brothers, whose early music was played on the network in addition to the “Jonas” series and “Camp Rock” movies, have also made an impressive comeback.

After splitting up in 2013, the boys are back together and doing better than even die-hard fans expected. Their latest album, 2019's "Happiness Begins" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart. At the time, it marked the biggest sales week for a pop album since 2017. The album's lead sing, "Sucker" was the the band’s biggest hit to date, debuting at No. 1 with 42.8 million first-week on-demand streams, according to Nielsen's 2019 year-end music report.

From a fan:The Jonas Brothers are even better now than they were 10 years ago

Hilary Duff of "Lizzie McGuire" fame is also making her way back into the spotlight thanks to an upcoming revival series set for Disney+. She's a savvy businesswoman, having launched an eyewear line, invested in cosmetics and working as co-owner of baby products brand "Happy Little Camper."

Remember that little blond kid on Disney Channel running around a hotel with his twin brother? That's right, Cole Sprouse of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" is also finding new fame as Jughead Jones on The CW's hit series, "Riverdale."

Not only are these stars holding onto their place in the industry, longtime fans are cheering for their renewed success. For those who fell on harder times, we're especially proud of their comebacks.

As Gomez puts on one of her latest tracks: "It took a few years to soak up the tears, but look at her now."

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