A Backup Dancer For Demi Lovato Has Defended Herself After People Called Her A "Bad Influence"

    "I am with her now, and will continue to be because she means the world to me," Dani Vitale wrote on Instagram.

    Ellie Bate
    by Ellie Bate

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Last week, musician Demi Lovato was hospitalised after a suspected overdose. Fans and celebrities alike immediately began flooding Demi's social media accounts with messages of love and support.

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    A representative for Demi told BuzzFeed News in a statement that she was "awake and with her family", and that "some of the information being reported is incorrect".

    A month prior to her hospitalisation, Demi surprised fans with a new single, "Sober", in which she opens up about her journey with sobriety and hints that she relapsed.

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    She also got visibly emotional during her first live performance of the song at Rock in Rio a few days later.

    While the majority of messages from Demi's fans were full of love and best wishes for the singer, some began speculating as to the reasons for her apparent relapse.

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    Some turned to blaming the people Demi has surrounded herself with during her Tell Me You Love Me Tour – and one dancer in particular, Dani Vitale.

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    According to fans, a friend of Dani's posted an Instagram story suggesting that Demi and Dani attended a party together on the night of Demi's hospitalisation.

    Several fans took to Twitter calling Dani a "bad influence" and saying Demi should "cut [her] out of her life", and Dani's Instagram comments were flooded with the snake emoji.

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    Now Dani has posted a statement on her Instagram defending herself and claiming she wasn't with Demi when the incident that led to her hospitalisation happened.

    "I was not with Demi when the incident happened, but I am with her now, and will continue to be because she means the world to me just as she does to all of you," Dani wrote.

    She went on to ask Demi's fans to send the singer their love instead of focusing on negativity: "There is no need for any negativity towards the ones who care about Demi at this time. There is too much of it in the world as it is."