Amanda Seyfried: 'I used to feel ugly'

Amanda Seyfried has revealed that she felt "extremely ugly" when she was growing up.

The actress admitted that she lost confidence in her looks from the age of 10.

She said: "I was super-outgoing until I was around 10. I got a bit older and started getting shy. Way too shy.

"I felt so extremely ugly. When I look back, I was not ugly - I was cute and had a gap in my teeth. But I wish I could have enjoyed that part of my life and be more confident."

Although Seyfried felt self-conscious about her appearance, she explained that she loved performing songs at home.

The 25-year-old added: "Sometimes I would sing around the house for two hours straight, but I didn't want anyone to hear me up close. I would sing all the Broadway show tunes like 'Cabaret'.

"Our cat started hating me. He went from being affectionate to being almost scared of me. Our theory was that when I was singing around the house, I hit notes that hurt his little ears. That is what I tell myself anyway!"

'Thin obsession is twisted'

Amanda Seyfried has admitted that she finds Hollywood's obsession with thin stars "twisted".

The Chloe actress said that size pressures within the industry require her to adopt a strict diet and fitness regime.

She told AOL: "I'm in my mid-20s and I know how to look after my body on my own. I'm not going to deny that I don't think about it every day, it's always on my mind. I clearly like being fit, but it's not thin without a hell of a lot of work - I run and I exercise a lot and then I eat.

"If I have to diet, it's salad with protein, salmon and broccoli, no dessert. But what kind of life is that? So I work out a lot and I'm just pretty moderate about what I eat."

She added: "I have to stay in shape because I'm an actress. It's f**ked up and it's twisted, but I wouldn't get the roles otherwise. If I'd been bigger, I don't think they would have cast me for Mamma Mia!."