Ashley Tisdale is learning to be "proud" of who she is.
Ashley Tisdale
The 'High School Musical' star has opened up on her battle with depression and anxiety, and says that whilst she still finds it difficult to talk about sometimes, she's starting to realise that her imperfections are what make her "beautiful".
She said: "It's so easy for people when someone goes, 'Does anyone have anxiety?' Everyone at the table will go, 'Yeah, I do.' If someone says, 'Do you have depression?' Nobody really wants to take about it.
"There are so many times I'm at an event or even just at a social party and I feel like I'm not good enough to be there, and I feel that a lot of us struggle with that.
"I think for the first time, I'm really proud of who I am. I think that when you struggle with those things, instead of being like 'Oh I hate that stuff,' I really accept it. I think that's what makes you beautiful, that you're not perfect."
Ashley, 33, is using her latest album 'Stigma' to try and break down the stereotypes surrounding mental illness, and says her new music marks the first time she's been "super vulnerable" on record.
Speaking to People magazine, she said: "This is the first time I'm being super vulnerable. This is me sharing my journey through anxiety and depression. I didn't know the anxiety symptoms I had in the past while touring. Before, I would freak out before going on stage. That was a panic attack. I had no idea what that was until I started reading about it.
"The reason I wanted to do this album was because I wanted to make someone at home not feel so alone in what they go through. They could look at me and go, 'We're all human. We all go through things.'"
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