You have to control things, especially with the social media, because once it's out there, it's out there. And that becomes the fact.

Whitney won't ever even know what it's like to be 50. Whitney will never know what it's like to be 50. She died before she was 50. So there's nothing to be ashamed of. You should be proud of your age.

I like Twitter, actually and I like Instagram and I like talking to people. Most weeks, I'll take a day, a morning or two out of my day and I'll sit and I'll just answer my tweets. You have to get back quickly. And I think that's important to let people know that you see them because they took the time to acknowledge me. And they took the time to if you want to be my fan and to follow me and appreciate what I do.

The thing that I've learned is to stay ready to be ready, and I tell this to young people all the time. You don't have time to get ready. So, what that means to me is if you don't like your hair, your weave is wack, your teeth need fixing, if your attitude needs adjusting and you need therapy, you really want to lose 10 pounds - whatever that is for you - then you need to work on it starting now.

I don't think I avoided being type cast, because I do sometimes get similar roles. It is not a bad thing because we are strong at what we are strong at, not meaning that we cannot do other things, but sometimes somebody else might bring a little more realism than you, because that is more of who they are than who you are. I do get a chance to play other people and other types of roles.

Don't be ashamed of your age. You've lived a long time. You've learned a lot. Tout you knowledge. Be proud of your experience. Be proud of who you've become. Don't hide, and don't be ashamed like, "Oh my God. I'm nearly turning 50," or, "I'm turning 60. Shhh, don't tell nobody."

Anytime anybody asks you to do anything that is celebrating you or highlighting your life, just the fact that they cared enough about me, who am I to say no? It's a form of flattery to me and I take those things seriously, because in the long run, people don't have to care about you.