Why have Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez reunited five years after a public and painful breakup? Gomez explains in a new issue of Billboard

The back-and-forth couple — who've been spotted meeting in recent weeks (and even kissing at Bieber's weekly hockey game) — have turned heads with their renewed bond, particularly since they seemed to reconcile almost immediately after Gomez broke up with The Weeknd. But Gomez, who's Billboard's official Woman of the Year, told the site that as she's grown older, she's begun to learn the value of long-lasting connections.

“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.”

“I mean, I grew up with Demi [Lovato]. Nick and Joe [Jonas] and Miley [Cyrus] ― we’ve gone through seasons in our lives,” she continued. “I don’t think it’s as serious as people make things out to be half the time. It’s just my life. I grew up with all of these people, and it’s so cool to see where everybody is. It comes back to the idea of me remaining full.”

And as for her breakup with The Weeknd, Gomez said she and her ex are intent on keeping the friendship alive.

“Something that I’m really proud of is that there’s such a true friendship [between me and The Weeknd],” she said. 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.”

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