Demi Lovato Discusses Overdose in Preview of ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ Interview

Demi Lovato discusses how close she came to death when she overdosed in 2018 in a preview of her upcoming interview on CBS Sunday Morning, which will air in full March 21st at 9 a.m. ET.

“The doctors told me that I had five to 10 minutes,” Lovato says in the clip of her interview with Tracy Smith. “Like, if no one had found me, then I wouldn’t be here. And I’m grateful that I’m sitting here today.”

In the clip, Lovato also speaks candidly about her struggles to stay sober during the mid-2010s, and how that led to her near-fatal overdose. “I’m in recovery for a bunch of things and I had been sober for how many years, but I’m still miserable,” Lovato says. “For the first time in my life, I had to essentially die to wake up.”

Elsewhere in the interview, according to a release, Lovato will discuss the immediate and lasting effects of the overdose, revealing that when she first woke up she was legally blind, and adding that she still grapples with hearing loss, tinnitus, and blind spots in her vision. Lovato will also speak about her comeback performance at the 2020 Grammys, why being “California sober” (meaning, moderate use of marijuana and alcohol) works for her, and how she’s regained control in the years since her overdose.

“I didn’t control any of my life at that period of time,” Lovato said. “But, yes, I also needed to grow up and take control. And that’s something I haven’t done until the past two years of my life, which is I’m now in control of my finances. I’m now in control of … the food that I eat, how often I work out.”