Demi Lovato says swimsuit photos show new-found 'self-love'

Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Demi Lovato says her swimsuit photos show a new-found "self-love" and confidence.

The 25-year-old singer and actress defended her social media posts on Monday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show after sharing a much-discussed bathing suit picture this month.

"I do feel [confident]," Lovato told host Ellen DeGeneres. "I've been working on myself for the past year, more so than I've ever worked on myself."

"I've really surrendered to the process of just learning to love yourself and I feel like it shows through my pictures, and I post more bathing suit pictures online," she added. "I want to show my fans it's possible that they can get to that self-love, too."

Lovato had shared a swimsuit photo and a body-positive message Jan. 4 amid her continued recovery from an eating disorder. Many praised Lovato for the post, while others criticized her appearance.

"I actually was very hesitant about posting that because I didn't love my legs in it," the star told DeGeneres. "I decided to post it anyways because I thought, 'It's me, it's who I am and I love my body, so I'm just going to post it.'"

"I've taken away the power from the negative comments and the haters by not listening to them, and if I do see it, I just feel sorry for them because who leaves a negative comment on someone's profile on the Internet?" she said. "I've taken away the power and it just feels great."

Lovato was treated for bulimia and substance abuse issues in 2010. She said in her Jan. 4 post that recovering from her eating disorder has been "the most challenging journey" of her life.