Los Angeles, California - Selena Gomez has thanked a fan who defended her online after facing criticism for discussing her 2018 split from Justin Bieber in a recent interview.

The 31-year-old star opened up about her decision to step away from social media after her final break-up with the 29-year-old singer, whom she did not mention by name, in a new interview with Fast Company.

"I had just gotten my heart broken. I didn't need to see what everyone was doing," Selena explained.

Despite never referring to Justin directly, fans were quick to point out that the quote was clearly about their split, with some stans bullying Selena online for continuing to reference their former romance in the media.

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In a viral TikTok video, a fan called out these criticisms, saying, "Apparently, Selena Gomez can't address life experiences anymore, and she can't talk about past relationships even though a ton of other celebrities do the same every f**king day in articles."

Per ELLE, the Only Murders in the Building actor showed her appreciation for the defense, writing, "Thank you so much!" in the clip's comment section.

Though Selena and Justin have been over for five years now, fans have been seemingly unable to let the eight-year, on-off relationship go, with a rampant rivalry between the Rare Beauty founder and Justin's wife, Hailey, dominating headlines for months this year.

Stans have consistently pitted the two women against one another for years, largely due to Hailey and Justin's engagement coming just four months after his final split from Selena.

In February, Selena and Hailey divided the internet even further after the former Disney star called out Hailey in the comments section of a TikTok that showed the 26-year-old mocking Selena's long-time BFF, Taylor Swift.

Hailey was then targeted by fans online, losing over 200,000 followers in the aftermath.

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A month later, Selena shared a statement on her Instagram, revealing Hailey had contacted her about receiving death threats due to the negativity online and calling on fans to put an end to the discourse.

The pair have since seemingly buried the hatchet, but it seems that the love triangle remains a troublingly permanent fixture among the stars' fans.