In an emotional new interview, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez reveal how their painful pasts helped them bond — and fall in love!

Today, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez may appear to have picture-perfect lives, but the two teen megastars say that wasn’t always the case. In the new issue of BOP, Justin and Selena open up about their childhood struggles — and explain how their secret pain helped their love become so strong.

Justin and Selena were both raised by single teen mothers and grew up with hardly any money. When she was young, Selena recalled being so poor in her hometown of Grand Prairie, TX that her mother would save up change so that they could drive a few hours away to visit their family and friends.

“I remember my mom would run out of gas all the time,” she admitted. “We’d sit there and have to go through the car and get quarters and help her get gas because she never liked to ask my grandparents for money.”

Even though Selena’s mom, Mandy, worked three jobs to try and support their family of two, there was never enough money to go around.

More than a 1,000 miles away in Canada, Justin’s mom, Pattie, faced similar financial hardships.

“I didn’t have a real bed,” Justin revealed. “I slept on a blue pull-out couch in my room.”

Justin and his mom lived in low-income housing for a while, but were forced to move in with Justin’s grandparents, Bruce and Diane, when things times got really tough.

Despite their hopeless surroundings, both Justin and Selena never gave up hope that one day they would become big Hollywood stars. Selena made a name for herself when Wizards of Waverly Placepremiered on the Disney Channel in 2007, and only two years later, Justin’s first single, “One Time,” became a smash hit. The two up-and-comers began to notice each other at red-carpet events and industry parties, and eventually, spent hours on the phone opening up about their painful childhoods.

The two lovebirds are still going strong today, thanks in part to their similar upbringings.

“She has really strong family values,” Justin gushed about his lady love.

Likewise, Selena can’t believe how lucky she is to have found someone that understands the hardships she experienced as a child, as well as the down-to-earth lifestyle she practices today.

“If you’re in love, you’re in love to the fullest, and you just want to go to the movies, hang out and be as normal as possible,” she said. “I’m fortunate that I’ve found someone who has that philosophy.”

Do YOU think that Selena and Justin bonded over their painful childhoods?