01 December 2015
Newsdesk
Miley Cyrus' transformation from child star to controversial singer is "completely understandable" as far as fellow Disney favourite Zendaya is concerned.
The 19-year-old actress made a name for herself in Disney Channel series Shake It Up, which began when she was just 14.
Miley had a similar start to her career, becoming a worldwide sensation thanks to the network's show Hannah Montana.
Since then, Miley has left her roots far behind, but Zendaya insists she can understand why the 23-year-old has undergone such a dramatic reinvention.
"A lot of (child stars) 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," Zendaya told Complex magazine. "You've got to realise when you're really young you don't know who you are yet. And as soon as you figure it out, you've already been forced to become something that you didn't really know you signed up for. So it's like, I get it. There's a lot of pressure, so I completely understand."
"Everyone has their different ways of learning and growing and finding out who they are, and you can't fault people for that."
Since Shake It Up came to an end in 2013, Zendaya is now the star of new Disney Channel programme K.C. Undercover, which premiered earlier this year (15). She is also gearing up to release her second album, which she previously described as "a new wave of R&B".
But Zendaya won't be transforming herself anytime soon, because she has always known exactly who she is.
"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," she continued. "There will be no surprises. I'm not suddenly going to be like woo, crazy."
