Mandy Moore is glad that she became famous before the age of social media.
The 41-year-old star released her debut single Candy aged 15 in 1999 before taking on several film roles and is relieved that she emerged into the limelight before sites such as Instagram existed.
Speaking at the Inspiration Awards recently, Mandy said: "I feel really, really lucky, because I was still able to be a regular 15-year-old and have this incredible job and opportunities that I never could have fathomed, but I'm still able to be a kid.
"I could go to the mall, I could go to amusement parks, I could go to the homecoming dance at my old school with my friends."
The This Is Us actress added: "I was still very much allowed to toggle between both worlds, and I never felt overwhelmed. No one told me that I had to pick a lane and define myself in one way. I was able to figure things out as I went along, step by step. And I feel like that, to me, has been the definition of success and longevity."
Mandy explained that she has been able to navigate public scrutiny as a result of finding fame at an early age.
She said: "I am definitely my own worst critic. I try to have the grace for myself that I would have for anybody else that I love in my life. And also just doing something, right? Just taking the tiny incremental steps. You don't have to have it figured out. In fact, nobody has it all figured out. If they say they do, they're lying to you."
Mandy explained that she "reminds" herself of her responsibilities to others during tough times.
The star - who has children August, four, Oscar, two, and Louise, 13 months, with her husband Taylor Goldsmith - said: "I try to remind myself that I'm a mother and I'm a wife and a sister and a daughter and a friend and a partner and all of these things.
"I know who I am, and I know what I want, and I know what I don't want.
"It's going to be easier to answer those questions some days than others, but really it's just about showing up for myself and recognising there are many hardships.
"Life is a rollercoaster and you've just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and that's what's going to win the day."
