Demi Lovato may have been totally chilled last week after spending some time at a holistic retreat, but her relaxed exterior was shattered yesterday when she attended the Trailblazers event in New York.

The singer looked great in her purple ensemble, but when paparazzi hurled abuse at her (with one even commenting on her past problems with drugs) she lost her temper and stuck up her middle finger to let the man know exactly what she thought of him.

She explained herself on Twitter later in the evening: “When are paparazzi gonna learn? If you’re respectful to me, I’ll be respectful back. Why does it have to be a war of celebs against paps?

“Of course if you yell horrible things, I’m not gonna work with you. I’ll pose if you are respectful and not being bullies.

“I wanted to stop for my fans today/tonight really bad because I love you so much but I can’t deal with how mean those paps are… I always try to stop because I appreciate every single one of you, so if I don’t get to you please know I’m sorry and I love you.

“Sometimes staying strong means not putting yourself in uncomfortable or triggering situations.”