Aaron Carter Feels "Cautiously Optimistic" After Rehab and 45-Lb. Weight Gain

Last year, the pop singer spent two months in a treatment facility after undergoing personal and legal turmoil and also gained weight after combating an eating disorder

By Corinne Heller Feb 15, 2018 8:53 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Aaron Carter says he feels "cautiously optimistic" about his future after a turbulent 2017. 

Last year, the pop singer spent two months in a treatment facility after undergoing personal and legal turmoil, including the death of his father and an arrest for alleged DUI and pot possession. Carter, who has spoken in the past about having an eating disorder, also gained 45 pounds, going from 115 pounds to a healthier 160 pounds. He said in November that he felt "amazing."

Carter was all smiles as he talked about his health and well-being during an appearance on The Real on Thursday.

"You know, I'm feeling very cautiously optimistic," he said. "I learned a lot of things from last year. It was a very exhilarating year, full of good things, good times and then trials and tribulations. My dad passed away last year...I kind of went on a downward spiral."

Carter said that he learned "to put myself first and to really truly love myself and be comfortable of what I see in the mirror."

"Last year, I got so stressed out from all kind of miscellaneous things," he said. "I went down to like a 115 pounds and then I went to a treatment center and I came out 160 pounds."

Carter said he is staying healthy by "surrounding myself with positivity and focusing on the good things and not on a hater on social media."

"It's so funny how one person can get under your skin," he said.

He's also making new friends; the singer loves to occasionally tweet out his cellphone number.

"I actually do it every once in a while. I think it's very hilarious to do," he said. "They call me, they FaceTime me from all different countries and sometimes they can't even speak English...I will literally spend hours doing it. We grew up in the world without social media, so this connection, I feel like, on a cellphone, it feels more real. It doesn't feel like we're hiding behind anything."

He said he changes his phone number every six days.

Watch: Aaron Carter's Inspiration Behind New Music

Last August, Carter revealed he is bisexual. He had recently split from girlfriend Madison Parker.

Carter recently released the album LøVë, his first major record in 15 years.

"I wrote the tracks over the course of the last two years, which was actually, of course, two different relationships that I went through too," he said.

Carter said one of his past relationships was with a female backup dancer and that his neck tattoo, the word "Love" surrounded by flames, was inspired by her.

"I intend on getting it removed," Carter said on The Real. "I am actually going to be doing some film and TV projects so I don't think it's very appropriate."