Demi Lovato: 'I Ended Up Doing Things I Regret to This Day'

RadarOnline, Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 8:45am (PDT)

Demi Lovato has been on the path to recovery since her release from rehab in January and the Disney star has become an open book when it comes to discussing her issues.

"I just had so much growing up to do. ... I just had so much going on in my head. I ended up doing things that I regret to this day," Demi said during an interview with Ryan Seacrest on Tuesday morning.

"It was the elephant in the room. It was affecting every aspect of my life. I was cranky, I was irritable, I was not pleasant really to work with."

Demi, 18, entered a treatment center last November in Illinois for emotional and physical issues, later revealing that she had an eating disorder and cut herself.

RELATED: PHOTOS: Demi's Fender-Bender

"My family's known that I've had issues with food and eating for about six years now," Demi said.

"I was able to check in with them, but it got to a point where I just was lying ... about eating and about being happy. There's a lot of pressure these days. I feel like I live in a city where no woman eats!”

RELATED: PHOTOS: Demi Lovato Sports a Teal Bikini

Although Demi spent nearly three months in rehab, she said she was never suicidal and the hardest part for her was being away from her family for the holidays.

"Spending Christmas in treatment was really, really difficult. I just remember sometimes sitting there and being like, I had so much just six months ago, and here I am in a treatment center. What has my life become? How did I let it get to this point?" Demi said.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Demi Lovato Before She Was Famous

"I never became suicidal, but I was in some really, really dark times, though."

In March, the former "Camp Rock" actress got the words "stay" and "strong" tattooed on her wrists in an effort to move forward with her life.

RELATED: PHOTOS: Zac Efron & Ashley Tisdale Horse Around at Beach

"It was very symbolic for me to be able to cover that up," Demi said, referring to the scars that cover her wrists from cutting.

Also on Demi's agenda is the release of her new single, "Skyscraper," which she recorded before entering rehab, at the height of her internal battle.

RELATED: PHOTOS: Twitter's Sexiest Stars Stripped Down

"I just sat there and I just cried my eyes out, I was almost doubled over with emotion ... it was crazy," Demi said, recalling when she recorded the song.

“I tried to re-record it, but it didn't have that same emotion and that same almost cry for help that I had when I first recorded it."