My mom brought me up to believe that my talent is a gift and a blessing.

I was brought up in a household of chaos and I never felt stable at home. At a really young age, I decided I was never going to feel helpless, I was never going to feel weak around a man, and I was never going to rely on anyone. Independence was a big, big thing for me.

The real beauty - inside, it comes from the heart, where love lives. If not, even the most common facial features can not hide the emptiness, which eventually pushes people.

I don't even watch my own show: I tape it, I'm out.

That's why I wrote 'Fighter'. I have that need in me to help people. I am all about the underdog.

I love theatrics and have a huge imagination: Why would I want to sit onstage and sing a bunch of ballads back-to-back?

I was very pushed to look a certain way and act a certain way, and it wasn't me, but I played by their rules to get my foot in the door.