Selena Gomez made a rare social media appearance during a winter break with friends.

The US singer and actress announced she was taking a break from Instagram in September, telling her 143 million followers that “negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings”.

She has not posted on her own social media channels since, amid reports in the US about her mental health.

But on Tuesday she posed for pictures alongside friends during a break in the winter resort of Big Bear Lake in Southern California.

Her former Wizards Of Waverly Place co-star Bailee Madison accompanied her on the trip, later sharing a snap to Instagram.

Gomez, 26, wore all black while posing with Madison, 19. Madison captioned the post by calling Gomez and a third friend in the snap “snow angels”.

Fans flooded the comments section with messages of support for Gomez.

One wrote: “SELENA LOOKS SOO GOOD. we missed you Selena.”

Another said: “Sel looks perfect.”

And one fan commented: “I miss you so much @selenagomez.”

Gomez, star of films including Spring Breakers and Hotel Transylvania, struggles with the ongoing issues caused by the illness Lupus, which caused her to need a kidney transplant in September 2017.

Announcing she was stepping back from social media in September this year, Gomez shared a selfie with fans and wrote: “Mood lol (I was looking at myself in the mirror – like an idiot!).

“Update: taking a social media break. Again.

“As much as I am grateful for the voice that social media gives each of us, I am equally grateful to be able to step back and live my life present to the moment I have been given.

“Kindness and encouragement only for a bit! Just remember – negative comments can hurt anybody’s feelings. Obvi.”

Gomez has previously talked about the downsides of social media and has taken breaks from her pages before.

The Texas-born performer was a child star, appearing on the television series Barney & Friends and Disney’s Wizards Of Waverly Place.