Idina Menzel had a 'hard time' adjusting to being 50

The Cinderella actress celebrated the milestone birthday in May and she's "ashamed" that it "bothered" her more than she wanted to admit because she was worried about the impact getting older would have on her career.

She said of turning 50: "I am ashamed to say it, but I was having a hard time with it. I think it was subconsciously bothering me more than I led on, in regards to my relevance as a performer and actress. I'm feeling like the old lady sometimes, and that's not who I am. I feel very young at heart.

"I'm very vibrant, and the music I sing is for lots of young people. So it's silly for me to play into that. But I will be honest and say I have to combat a lot of my own neuroses."

Idina credited her 12-year-old son Walker - who she has with ex-husband Taye Diggs - for helping her to adjust.

She explained to the new issue of America's Glamour magazine: "He says, 'Mom, don't look in the mirror and worry about how you look. You're beautiful.'"

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And the Frozen star - who is married to Aaron Lohr - wants to send the right messages to her son because she's learned from her own childhood experiences.

She added: "My mom's gorgeous. When my sister and I were younger, kids used to say Farrah Fawcett was coming to school when she would pick us up because she looked so beautiful, with a great body and great skin. But privately, she'd always look in the mirror and say something negative about her body or face.

"Even though she always told my sister and I that we were beautiful, thinking that was building our confidence, what we really were seeing was a beautiful woman diminishing her worth in some way. I'm learning as a parent that you really have to walk the walk and talk the talk because that's what kids really see. They're so insightful."