Selena Marie Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas on July 22, 1992, [4] to Ricardo Joel Gomez and former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Cornett.[5][6][7] Gomez was named after Tejano singer and actress Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who died in 1995.[8][9] Her father is of Mexican descent while her mother, who was adopted, has some Italian ancestry.[10][11][12] Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez has stated, "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church."[13] Gomez's parents divorced when she was five years old, and she remained with her mother.[5][14] Gomez has two siblings. Her sister, Gracie Elliot Teefey, was born to Amanda and her second husband Brian Teefey on June 12, 2013.[15][16] Gomez has a second sister, Victoria "Tori" Gomez, born to Ricardo and his wife Sara on June 25, 2014.[17] She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.[18] When Gomez was born, her mother was sixteen years old.[19] The family had financial troubles during Gomez's childhood, with her mother struggling to provide for the pair.[20] At one point, Gomez recalled the pair had to search for quarters just to get gas for their car.[20] Her mother later recalled the two would frequently walk to their local dollar store to purchase spaghetti for dinner, though got by.[20] Gomez stated, "I was frustrated that my parents weren't together, and never saw the light at the end of the tunnel where my mom was working hard to provide a better life for me. I'm terrified of what I would have become if I'd stayed [in Texas]."She later added that "[My mom] was really strong around me. Having me at 16 had to have been a big responsibility. She gave up everything for me, had three jobs, supported me, sacrificed her life for me." Gomez had a close relationship with her grandparents as a child, and appeared in various pageants growing up.Her grandparents often took care of Selena while her parents finished their schooling, and the pair went as far as stating that they "raised her" up until she found success in the entertainment industry.

Selena Gomez, spills on all of her must-haves, from fashion to food and everything in between.