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Selena Gomez sets the record straight on ‘ominous headlines’ about ‘signing life away to Disney

Selena Gomez first rose to fame as a Disney Channel star (Picture: Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock)

Selena Gomez has clarified comments she made earlier this month about ‘signing her life away’ to Disney, saying that she is in fact ‘beyond proud’ to have worked with them at the start of her career.

According to the pop star, her lighthearted comment was taken out of context, and she has now set the record straight.

‘It kind of shaped who I am in a way,’ she told RadioTimes.com, saying she didn’t have any reluctance returning to television.

‘I have to say, I’m very lucky,’ she continued, saying she was well taken care of during her time on Wizards of Waverley Place, particularly praising her parents for keeping her safe at the start of her career.

‘As a female in my position, I was taken care of and I’ve only had lovely experiences, so I’m grateful for that.’

The former teen star first rose to fame at the age of 15 playing the role of Alex Russo in the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place, which ran from 2007 to 2012.

Selena first started acting when she was just 15 years old (Picture: Disney)

‘I signed my life away to Disney at a very young age and I didn’t know that’s what I was doing,’ said the star earlier in the month during a press panel for her upcoming Hulu show Only Murders in the Building.

‘I was just a kid and I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just running around the set,’ she added.

Selena’s Only Murders in the Building co-star Steve Martin also addressed the casual nature of her initial comments, saying during the Radio Times chat: ‘I was there when Selena said that and it was said in the most light-hearted, funny, jokey way.

‘And then I see it gets interpreted – sometimes they’ll say she was joking and sometimes they have it as an ominous headline – but it was completely just all in fun.

‘I’ve signed my life away to Marty Short, you think I like that?’

Selena will next star in Only Murders in the Building (Picture: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)

Since Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena has made several films and TV appearances, both as herself and in character, but Only Murders in the Building marks her first main role.

The actress is also making a return to Disney since her new show will be released on Disney+ internationally and the mouse-eared giant also owns a majority share in Hulu. 

Selena, Martin and fellow co-star Martin Short play a trio of true-crime obsessives living in the same building in New York in this new comedy.

More: US TV news

The threesome uses their true-crime podcast to start investigating a killing when someone is murdered in the block.

Selena plays a talented detective in the show, with fellow stars Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane also making recurring appearances.

Only Murders in the Building drops its first two episodes on August 31 on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US. 

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