Los Angeles, Sep 15 (IANS): “Baywatch” star Carmen Electra said that she was homeless in Los Angeles before she shot to fame and hauled herself to auditions filled with self-doubt.

The 52-year-old actress got her first film when she was cast as Lani McKenzie in the hit action series 'Baywatch' during the late 1990s but recalled that her quest for stardom was a struggle.

Speaking as part of a panel at 90s Con in Daytona Beach, Florida, Electra said: "I was homeless in L.A., I’m not from a rich family or anything like that. I knew where I needed to be in N.Y. or L.A.”

"So there was a lot of struggling, and I didn’t really know what I was going to do. But I just started to try things and come out of my shell really. So that’s the beginning. I would not want to go into auditions, I’d leave and say everyone’s so pretty, I can’t do this, I can’t memorise anything."

However, the actress, whose birth name was Tara Leigh Patrick, saw a change in her fortunes when she met the late pop icon Prince, and he was the one who suggested she change her name and produced her debut studio album in 1993, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She added: "I felt like trying things and meeting some good people on the way that helped me. Prince just set me up and he was so supportive. With his support I got a tad bit more confident and just tried things and tried to keep that in mind with all my insecurities that I still have."

The actress shared that when she was cast in “Baywatch”, she was often told on the set of the show to watch her weight as she was filmed in her famous red bikini.