Selena Gomez’s 20th Birthday: 20 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Star

Guest Editor | June 27, 2012 12:00 pm

Selena Gomez‘s birthday is on Sunday (July 22), and she’s finally leaving teendom behind to celebrate the big 2-0. Though many recognize her as the former star of Wizards of Waverly Place , the “Hit The Lights” singer has done a lot since her Disney days: She’s worked on a new movie, become a magazine cover girl, and dated another pop star named Justin Bieber (maybe you’ve heard of him?). So in honor of Selener’s 20th birthday, we present 20 facts that you probably didn’t know about this summer girl.

1.) Selena made her television debut at age 7, on Barney and Friends, where she met her best friend, Demi Lovato. [People]

2.) Selena and Demi starred in their own YouTube show called “The Demi and Selena Show”.

3.) Selena is the youngest ambassador to UNICEF. She was first appointed when she was 17. [UNICEF USA]

4.) She is named after the singer Selena, who died three years after her birth. [Huffington Post]

5.) Her favorite actress is Rachel McAdams. [OK! Magazine]

6.) She turned down a role in High School Musical 3, claiming it would be a better opportunity for someone else and that she wanted to try more “mature” roles. [NY Daily News]

7.) She likes eating whole lemons, even putting salt on them. [Girls’ Life Magazine]

8.) She was attached to a Lizzie McGuire spin-off called Stevie Sanchez, but it was never picked up. [TV.com]

9.) She loves pickles, so much so that she’ll eat it with popcorn and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. [ABC News]

10.) She traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of a UNICEF mission. [E! Online]

11.) She owns five rescue dogs. [People]

12.) Her mom had her at 16 years old, and raised her as a single mom. [oceanUP]

13.) She has a major crush on Shia LaBeouf.

14.) She drinks olive oil to protect her voice. [YouTube]

15.) She used to wear a purity ring that said “true love waits,” but it has since disappeared from her finger once she started dating Justin Bieber. [Allie Is Wired]

16.) She has a bohemian-inspired clothing line, Dream Out Loud, available at Kmart. [Kmart]

17.) She got into some hot water with PETA after painting several horses pink for her “Love You Like A Love Song” video. [Celebuzz]

18.) She’s a real smarty. Science — specifically the earth sciences, studying with the “layers of the Earth” — was her favorite subject in school. [Scholastic]

19.) She recently broke up with her band (the “Scene”) to focus on her acting career. [E! Online]

20.) Her upcoming movie, Spring Breakers, marks her first role in a mature movie, tackling subjects such as sex, drugs, booze and jail. [Fox News]

Got more juicy Selena Gomez trivia to share? Tell us in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.