Toni Braxton Gushes Over Fellow Lupus Fighter Selena Gomez: ‘She’s One Of The Bravest Girls I Know’

While opening up about her own battle with lupus, Toni Braxton commended Selena Gomez for being so open about her struggles with the disease & what she said is SO sweet!

Toni Braxton, 50, hasn’t let lupus get the best of her. While doctors have told her she’d never be able to perform or travel, she hasn’t slowed down. She’s portraying the heroic Antoinette Tuff in Lifetime’s TV movie Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story. The film, premiering Jan. 27 at 8pm ET, will focus on the true story of the Georgia school employee who prevented a mass shooting in 2013 by talking to, and effectively calming down a gunman. It’s safe to say that Toni knows a hero when she sees one — and she thinks Selena Gomez, 25, belongs in that category.

“People look at you and go, ‘Can they work?’” she told People in an interview about how people react to her struggle with lupus and heart disease. “That’s the hardest part, and Selena Gomez [is] a warrior.” The “Bad Liar” singer has been incredibly open about her lupus. In Sept. 2017, she announced on Instagram that she underwent a kidney transplant due to her ongoing battle with the autoimmune disease, with her friend and Grown-ish star Francia Raisa donating the organ. “I’m so proud of her,” Toni continued gushing about Selena. “She’s one of the bravest girls I know, and she put it out there and said ‘I’m not gonna let you judge me and I’m not gonna be a victim and I’m a survivor.’ Just telling her story [makes her] a pioneer.”

While 2017 was a critical year for Selena’s health, she also made it one of the best of her career. Only a few months after her kidney transplant, she performed her hit song “Wolves” at the 2017 American Music Awards. “She sings! That’s the hardest thing!” Toni praised the 13 Reasons Why producer. “It’s energy to sing!  I don’t know how she does it because some days, if I’m having a bad day and I still have to do a show, it’s a lot of, ‘You sing’ to the audience.”

HollywoodLifers, do you love what Toni had to say about Selena?