Jessica Alba's personal life has been back in the spotlight after she confirmed her split from her husband Cash Warren this month and declared she was 'embarking on a new chapter of growth.'. The actress and businesswoman has for the most part kept her private life out of the spotlight, choosing instead to focus her public persona on her movies and then her billion-dollar business The Honest Company.

But underneath the glossy social media facade, shared with 20.6million Instagram followers, is an unexpected tale worthy of its own Hollywood film. The child star's nomadic upbring encouraged her into acting aged just 11 as she noted that it was a way for her to fit into the world and 'be somebody else'. 'I grew up in survival mode,' she told Glamour UK of her childhood, which saw her family relocate multiple times due to her dad's Airforce career. 'It was almost sort of what I was born into.'.

'My parents didn't have a safety net, they were living paycheck to paycheck. And so the mentality of 'tomorrow's not guaranteed'... For me, I was like, 'I got to do everything I can to keep my head above water.'. Jessica suffered a myriad of health issues as a child including a partially collapsed and ruptured lungs, asthma, pneumonia multiple times every year, hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Jessica Alba's personal life has been back in the spotlight after she confirmed her split from Cash Warren this month and declared she was 'embarking on a new chapter of growth'. The child star's nomadic upbring encouraged her into acting aged just 11 as she noted that it was a way for her to fit into the world and 'be somebody else'. Regular hospitalisation meant she felt isolated from her peers but her parents gave her the tough love she needed to beat it.

'It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman.'. She told Self magazine in 2015 that she struggled with her health and weight in her younger years but her parents gave her the tough love she needed to beat it. 'I was on a swim team, and I was chubby and slow and dead last - a full two laps last. I was crying and couldn't breathe.

'My mom and dad were like, ''You started this, you're going to finish it!'' My parents made me stick to stuff, pick myself up. And that attitude followed her throughout her acting career, as she notched up credits in multiple commercials and recurring roles on the likes of Nickelodeon series The Secret World of Alex Mack. In 1996 she booked the television series Flipper, with filming taking her to Australia. The shoot turned out to be a harrowing experience for the young actress though when, aged 15, she was kidnapped.

According to reports, the up-and-coming star was shooting scenes for Flipper when she mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Jessica Alba, seen here in the TV series Flipper, was kidnapped in 1996 at the age of 15 whilst filming the show in Australia. Her family and friends and the crew working on the TV show were left frantically searching for her for 14 hours. Jessica was eventually found tied up and gagged in the trunk of a car miles away from the Flipper set.

The young actress reportedly received unsettling phone calls prior to being kidnapped, and it's been claimed that some thought the two may be connected. However, the authorities never found any concrete evidence that linked the phone calls to her kidnapping. Investigators were also unable to identify any suspects or motives for the crime as there was a lack of forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts.

It has been reported that after months of searching for leads, the investigation stalled and the case was ultimately closed without resolution. Whilst she booked lead roles such as Flipper, Jessica, whose father is Mexican-American and mother is of French and Danish descent, has reflected that she grew frustrated with the audition process, as casting directors 'couldn't really categorize me.'. Her frustration, and her increased isolation from her peers at school, led the teenage Jessica to turn to religion at one point, becoming a born again Christian, having been raised as a Catholic.

Jessica suffered a myriad of health issues as a child including a partially collapsed and ruptured lungs, asthma, pneumonia multiple times every year; seen with her brother. Whilst she booked lead roles Jessica, whose father is Mexican-American and mother is of French and Danish descent, has reflected that she grew frustrated with the audition process, as casting directors 'couldn't really categorize me' ; pictured with her parents.

But she backed away from religion when 'older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't.'. She was also bothered by the lack of strong female role models in the Bible and the denouncement of homosexuality. 'I thought it was a nice guide,' she says, 'but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life.'. Her acting career and the world of showbiz she experienced from a young age also made her question her religious teachings, with one significant experience causing her to abandon her Christianity.