Me and my father, we don't have a really good relationship. That is something that's been out in the press and it's a very touchy situation for me to allow that to be seen. - On her feud with her father.

He's still my father at the end of the day.

You see good moments! I'll have my glass of wine, I still find a way to have a good time and hang out with my girlfriends. We only have one life to live and I can't let all the cares in the world weigh me down. I'll be 40 years old before I know it. - On her own reality show that dealt with more than family issues, that contained a lot of laughter.

That's where I come from, that show opened a big door for me. I do feel that I have, music-wise and acting-wise, moved on, and I'm happy to just sit back now and give the new winners their props. I watch it all the time! - On her success on American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2002).

It's just the truth. Celebrities can be untouchable sometimes, but I've always given my story straight because I'm proud of myself and I'm proud that I can talk about what I've been through. People can relate to me. There are things going on with Fantasia that are probably going on with another family right around the corner. - On her own show that interests people.

I would go in front of the mirror with an old, cheap can of hairspray and hold it like a microphone. I would go to sleep every night picturing myself singing in front of millions of people. - When she dreamed of stardom.

Let me tell you this: That house was like a prison, but a good prison. They have somebody who sits (and watches), and they had security guards working in shifts. There's no way you can sneak out because there's a gate around the house. We had a curfew. We could leave the house if we weren't working, but we had to be back at certain time ... or you'd get in big trouble the next day. - On Corey Clark's restrictions.

Judges were kept at a distance, with contact limited to maybe sometimes, after the show, they'd hug us or say something to us. - About the judges who knew of Corey Clark's volatile behavior on and off 'American Idol'.

And my mom comes upstairs and she says, 'Something is wrong with you.' I wouldn't even talk. She says, 'Have you been touched?' I still said nothing. I laid in that bed for two days. I wouldn't even go to school. - On being sexually assaulted at aged 16.

Oprah gave me a lot of advice. She sat me down ... Just, you know, how a lady should carry herself. How to manage your money. How to not put your trust in everybody. Just watch your back. But most of all, you have to watch what you do. You have to carry yourself in such a way. You have to just watch your every move and carry yourself as a lady. So other young ladies who are watching you will know this is how you do it. - On Oprah Winfrey, being her mentor.

I like to go to the ocean and see the miracles that God has created. It reminds me of His power. He can do anything, like pulling me up from where I came, taking me through what I have been through, and bringing me to this point -- the point where I prayed to be my whole life. " - Fantasia, in her book, Life is Not a Fairy Tale