Selena Gomez gives tearful speech thanking friend who saved her life

Francia Rasia gave her kidney earlier this year to aid Gomez in her battle against Lupus

Selena Gomez broke down in tears while accepting the Woman of the Year award at Billboard's Women in Music 2017 event.

The reason for her emotion was because of who had handed her the award: her best friend, actor Francia Raisa, who had given her a kidney earlier this year to aid Gomez in her battle against Lupus. She added, "To be honest, I think Francia should be getting this award."

After pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, she continued: "I feel incredibly lucky. Honestly, I couldn't be more grateful for the position I've been given in my career. I want people to know I respect the platform that I have so deeply. Specifically this year, I would like to thank my amazing team and my family because they stuck with me through some really hard times. I got to do a lot this year, even though I had a couple of other things to do."

"When I found out I was a [kidney type] match for Selena, I didn't think twice about it," Raisa said before she handed Gomez the award. "I was honoured, and if I was in the same situation, she wouldn't have thought twice about doing it for me. That's just who she is."

Gomez revealed on Instagram in September that she had received a kidney transplant, explaining she had not been able to promote her music over the summer as, "I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you."

The musician was being honoured for her honest, outspoken attitude; in the April edition of Vogue, she shared that she entered rehab for 90 days. explaining that she was "depressed, anxious. I started to have panic attacks right before getting onstage, or right after leaving the stage."

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