Lifestyle Health Selena Gomez on 'Remarkable' Split with The Weeknd and Why She's Reuniting with Justin Bieber "We ended it as best friends, and it was genuinely about encouraging and caring [for each other]," Gomez says in a new interview with Billboard By Melody Chiu Melody Chiu Instagram Twitter Melody Chiu is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE. She has been with the brand since 2009, editing, writing and reporting across all entertainment verticals. She oversees PEOPLE's music and events coverage and has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Blake Shelton and Sandra Oh. The Los Angeles native graduated from the University of Southern California and has appeared on Extra!, The Talk, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 30, 2017 02:35 PM Share Tweet Pin Email After Selena Gomez quickly rebounded with her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber after splitting from The Weeknd in October, fans and even her loved ones wondered why she was giving the “Sorry” singer another chance — and if there was any drama with the R&B singer. In a new cover interview with Billboard, the “Wolves” singer, 25, sets the record straight on all the rumors. “Something that I’m really proud of is that there’s such a true friendship [between me and The Weeknd],” she told the outlet. “I truly have never experienced anything like that in my life. We ended it as best friends, and it was genuinely about encouraging and caring [for each other], and that was pretty remarkable for me.” Billboard Sources previously told PEOPLE the pair’s relationship became difficult because of The Weeknd’s touring schedule and Gomez’s shooting commitments for her upcoming Woody Allen film. As for reuniting with Bieber, 23 — whom she’s had an on and off relationship with since 2010 — “I’m 25. I’m not 18, or 19, or 20,” she said. “I cherish people who have really impacted my life. So maybe before, it could have been forcing something that wasn’t right. But that doesn’t mean caring for someone ever goes away.” Ruven Afanador The star, who is being honored Thursday night as the outlet’s “Woman of the Year,” also got candid about her self-esteem after undergoing a kidney transplant earlier this summer. “It was really hard in the beginning,” she said about her surgery scar. “I remember looking at myself in the mirror completely naked and thinking about all the things that I used to bitch about and just asking, ‘Why?'” Ruven Afanador RELATED VIDEO: Selena Gomez Opens Up About Lupus Diagnosis And Her Commitment To Finding A Cure Ruven Afanador The entertainer also reveals there used to be “someone” in her life “who pointed out all the things that I didn’t feel great about with myself,” but she’s since gained a new confidence about her body. “I just think for me, it could be my eyes, my round face, my ears, my legs, my scar. I don’t have perfect abs, but I feel like I’m wonderfully made,” she said.