Best friends forever! Selena Gomez was nervous to perform at the 2019 American Music Awards on Sunday, November 24 — her first live performance in two years — but her pal Taylor Swift was there for her every step of the way. “Taylor’s been a tower of strength for Selena and kept reminding her that she’s loved by millions and had nothing to worry about, but her kind words didn’t stop the nerves from kicking in,” a source told In Touch exclusively.

The 27-year-old sang two of her hit songs — “Lose You to Love Me” and “Look At Her Now” — but apparently, she “had a panic attack” and had “been nervous for weeks” before she hit the stage. “Selena did not feel comfortable opening the show. She was clearly uneasy. She was a nervous wreck before the performance, some say it was an actual panic attack. Whatever it was, it was serious, because it almost stopped her from going on, but of course, that would have been worse,” a second source said.

Taylor Swift Helped BFF Selena Gomez Before Her AMAs Performance
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Luckily, the Disney alum was able to pull through. “She did some deep breathing. She tried to center herself, and she went out there,” the source explained. “But it wasn’t easy. She was nervous about the outfit change, the bodysuit. She admitted afterward that she wasn’t as confident as she wanted to be, but she pulled through. She was glad it was over. It just showed her that she still has a lot of work to do.”

Unfortunately, fans quickly noticed that Selena didn’t seem like herself during the opening number. One person wrote, “I love Selena, but oof [sic] was that a rough performance. #AMAs #AMAs2019,” while another echoed, “Selena Gomez just flopped so bad … but, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!? #AMAS.”

Despite the negative comments, many people stuck up for the brunette beauty. “[All right], Selena didn’t sound so good, but we all saw she was really nervous. It was her first performance in front of all those people after two years, it’s OK to be nervous. She also suffers from anxiety. Let’s just support her for her new era,” one fan tweeted. Another added, “It’s been how long since @selenagomez has performed!? I’m sure she was hella [sic] nervous singing such personal songs for the first time, and we don’t know what she’s going through physically/health-wise. I’m not here for the shady tweets. #AMAs.”

Taylor Swift Helped BFF Selena Gomez Before Her AMAs Performance
Jim Smeal/Shutterstock

Taylor, 29, and Halsey, 25, were also spotted in the crowd singing and dancing along to Selena’s tunes, so hopefully that was a reassuring sign for the Texas native. “She was really worried about messing up but ended up doing a great job and was really happy with her performance,” the insider added. “While she still suffers from bouts of anxiety, she’s in a much better place.”

There’s always next time, girl! For now, it’s ~nice to have a friend.~

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