Hilary Duff feels sorry for child stars.
The 29-year-old actress understands the struggles faced by former child stars as she shot to fame when she starred as the titular character in Disney show ‘Lizzie McGuire’ aged just 14.
Speaking on the ‘Just Jenny’ podcast, the blonde beauty said: "I think it’s hard. I just feel for them. God, how do I answer that? It was just a different time for me. When I was just coming onto the scene, it was when all the gossip and stuff started.
"But now it’s such an extreme level and there’s such a focus on personal life. It must really be a tough struggle. I feel it, and I’m not dealing with it on the level they’re dealing with it on."
The ‘Cinderella Story’ actress sympathises with stars like Selena Gomez, 24, who announced in August that she would be taking time off to deal with her anxiety and depression.
Hilary said: "I think the saving grace is, [Selena Gomez] makes great music. Tons people love her… The public is smart to gossip magazines and that they’re just trying to make money. At the end of the day they love those people and they love their music."
Hilary’s sympathy comes after the star – who has four-year-old son Luca with her ex-husband Mike Comrie – revealed she was planning on returning to the studio to work on new music after signing with Scooter Braun’s SB Management.
She said: "Scooter is an all-around manager. I will get in the studio. I think Scooter’s a really smart man. I think that he believes in me. I love what he does. He thinks outside the box and he likes a good challenge, and I’m a little bit of a challenge.
"Music for me, it fits in somewhere. It’s just a part of my life. But I don’t have like, ‘I’ve got to get an album at this time.’ I have a child and so I get to go to the studio when I have time."
Hilary Duff: Young stars face a ‘tough struggle’
