Hilary Duff avoided doing 'a Miley or Lindsay'

Hilary Duff didn't find it easy to leave behind her child star roots like Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan did.

The 27-year-old actress and singer soared to success after starring in Disney show Lizzie McGuire and recording several records when she was younger.

But rather than continue to work and brush off the role that made her famous once the series ended, Hilary felt she needed to step back - a move contrasting that of fellow former Disney alumnus.

"Instead of me trying to calculate how to do it and how to be successful at it - a lot of people chose different ways than I did, like Lindsay Lohan and the Olsen twins [Mary-Kate and Ashley] and even Miley Cyrus - I just chose to bow out for a minute," she told pridesource.com.

"I really needed it personally. I grew up in the spotlight and on tour and with everyone just knowing me and knowing me a certain way. At some point I was like, 'I don't even know if I'm that person anymore, and I don't even have the time to figure that out.'"

Despite everyone thinking she was "nuts" for stepping out of the limelight as she was doing well, the blonde beauty has no regrets.

During her down-time she married estranged husband Mike Comrie in 2010 and gave birth to their son Luca in March 2012. She's back making music now and her new album Breathe In. Breathe Out. has reached the number five spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

She's also found the confidence to get back into dating and even turned to app Tinder to meet some new guys. While she enjoyed the experience and shared her dates through music video Sparks, Hilary has put it behind her now.

"I'm not still using it. It was really fun for me for a minute; I wanted to experience something totally normal and also shock people. No one thought I was really on it - and I was really on it!" she smiled.