Why Selena Gomez didn't stay in touch with her Disney co-stars

Selena Gomez may have endeared herself to a generation through her role on Wizards of Waverly Place, but for years, she'd kept her distance from her costars.

Gomez, 30, first appeared as Alex Russo in 2007 when the show debuted on Disney Channel.

The antics and adventures of Alex and her magical family entertained viewers for years, even spawning two TV movies and over one hundred episodes.

Disney

However, Gomez recently admitted that despite having a lot of love for her Wizards costars, she deliberately didn't stay in touch after the show's end in 2012.

This admission came on the Wizards of Waverly Pod podcast, hosted by her former co-stars Jennifer Stone, who played Alex's best friend Harper, and David DeLuise, who was Alex's dad, Jerry.

The 'Come Get It' singer said: "I felt ashamed of the decisions that I made.

"I didn't want you guys to see me in the state that I was in, because A, you would have told me the truth, which terrifies me, and B, I didn't want to let you down."

DeLuise's response showed that he was touched her by her revelation.

He said: "That's really sweet, and thank you for saying that.

"Obviously I miss you."

Disney

Meanwhile, Stone also admitted that she'd noticed her former co-star was withdrawing from her.

She said: "I appreciate you saying that too, because to be perfectly blunt, there has been times where I'm like, ‘Did we stop being friends because I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear?'

"You know what I mean? So, I appreciate you being that honest."

And the Only Murders in the Building star was definitely feeling the love, as she added: "I appreciate you guys dearly.

"I love you so much in a way that I've never loved anybody else."

Gomez also revealed that her younger sister, Gracie, had become a firm fan of the show.

She said: "She's fallen in love with the show.

"Even before she was born, sometimes I would be by myself, and I would just throw on an episode to fall asleep to. I just loved it."

In the years since the show ended, Gomez has been public about her health struggles with lupus, which resulted in her undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017.

And when asked what she'd tell her younger self before shooting to fame, the musician said: "I wish that I had maybe known how hard it was going to get.

"But to know that I'd get on the other side of it."