Selena Gomez broke down in tears as she accepted the Woman of the Year award at the 2017 Billboard Women in Music event in Hollywood on Thursday.
The 25-year-old was joined on stage by her best friend and kidney donor, Francia Raisa. She got incredibly emotional as her “A Rainy Day in New York” co-star Elle Fanning presented her with the award.
Gomez said as she fought back tears, “To be honest, I think Francia should be getting this award because she saved my life. I would like to thank my amazing team and family because they stuck with me through some really hard times.
“Honestly, I couldn’t be more grateful for the position that I’ve been given in my career. I want people to know that I respect the platform that I have so deeply.”
The “Bad Liar” hitmaker, who was diagnosed with Lupus several years ago, went on: “I knew that I wanted to be a part of something great and I wanted people to feel great, because I love people.”
“I got to do a lot this year even though I had a couple of other things to do… I’m reminded by a team of people who believe in me, even when I don’t myself, and I couldn’t be luckier.”
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“I’ve never felt more proud to be a woman in the industry than I do today. I am so grateful for all the older women who have lifted all of us up, because I couldn’t be here without all of you,” Gomez added.
The star confirmed she’d undergone kidney surgery back in mid-September, with the singer taking to Instagram to admit “there aren’t enough words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend,” along with a photo of the pair holding hands in separate hospital beds.
