‘It’s really scary’: Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez open up about how the coronavirus has affected their lives
In an emotional live chat on Instagram, popstars Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez have revealed how the coronavirus has affected their lives.
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Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez have opened up in an emotional Instagram video about the anxiety they feel as the coronavirus sweeps across the United States.
Speaking live on Cyrus’s Instagram chat show Bright Minded: Live with Miley, the two popstars revealed they were unable to visit their families and worried for their elderly grandparents.
“I have grandparents and seeing people not take it as seriously as they should is really hard for me,” Gomez said, apologising for choking up.
Cyrus said her family, especially her mother who normally visited her grandma every day and saw her kids often, was also struggling.
“The fact that we were kind of dangerous and could jeopardise (our grandma’s) health made it that we couldn’t see my mum because she sees her mum. That really gave my mum anxiety because I haven’t seen her in probably three weeks and that never happens,” she said.
READ MORE: Follow the latest coronavirus updates
Nearly 280,000 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed across the United States – the largest number of cases anywhere in the world – and more than 7000 people have died.
Now the US government is facing criticism for failing to act sooner.
“It was so abrupt. All of the sudden we were locked down. Usually there is a process,” Cyrus said.
“This wasn’t a time where we had any warning to start kind of baby-stepping ourselves to disconnect. It felt very immediate and I think that’s probably where some of my anxiety came in.
“I didn’t really have time for my preparation … I just like to prepare.”
But both stars said they were trying to stay positive and look after their mental health by being “gentle” with themselves, donating to charities and reaching out to others.
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“It’s really scary because I think at the beginning of this we were all kind of under the impression that this was something that was attacking older people,” Cyrus said.
“It’s just interesting now that we’re starting to see this isn’t something that’s just attacking immune compromised or older people, but kids that are in really great health are finding themselves in the ICU. We’re just learning new things every single day,” she added.
“And I think that’s why we need to be gentle because we need to keep ourselves in a soft headspace where this information can come in and absorb but it doesn’t make us shut down because I think there’s a lot of good that can come from this experience.”
Gomez said she too was “taking breaks from all the noise” and making sure she went for walks outside when she could.
“My biggest thing is learning how to okay being inside and maybe taking walks. And watching things like this, watching things that encourage me, and hearing other people feeling the same way,” she said.
“We weren’t really prepared for this specifically, but I do know that there are moments where this is where we test each other. Like how are we going to treat each other?”
Last month, Cyrus said she was looking to spread hope and warmth to those stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak with her Bright Minded show. Her first guest was her own therapist.
“Stay lit in dark times!” the singer’s Instagram profile now reads.
Originally published as ‘It’s really scary’: Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez open up about how the coronavirus has affected their lives