Zendaya on former Disney stars: 'Many were forced into being role models'

Actress and singer Zendaya has spoken out in defence of her fellow child stars and their struggles with fame.

The 19-year-old American who found fame in the Disney television series ‘Shake It Up’ spoke to Complex magazine about former child stars and the problems that early stardom can bring.

She explained: “It’s that real model, role model thing. A lot of them were forced into being role models and they had to pretend to be something that they didn’t feel matched up with who they were. And that’s because they started really, really young. So you’ve got to realize when you’re really young you don’t know who you are yet.”

The ‘Bad Blood’ starlet went on: “Everyone has their different ways of learning and growing and finding out who they are, and you can’t fault people for that. Again, I think with all the prior Disney stars, at least you can say they are themselves now.”

When asked if she fears having a public transformation akin to Miley Cyrus, the ‘Close Up’ singer answered: “No. That’s why I said, in order to avoid those problems just be yourself from the beginning and be honest with the world, because that’s the only thing you can do. There will be no surprises.”

Watch behind the scenes footage of Zendaya’s Complex magazine shoot below: