Kristin Chenoweth was adopted when she was merely a few days old. The Hairspray Live! star took the time to acknowledge her parents and insists the adoption was “one of the best things” that has ever happened.

She explained to The Huffington Post newspaper: “I can honestly say being adopted was one of the best things to ever happen to me. It was never something that was hidden from me and it is not something I have ever been ashamed of.

I recognise how fortunate I am to have parents who love and support me unconditionally. The fact that they are not my biological parents does not change the fact that they are simply, my parents.”

The star also shares a unique perspective on adopted children, insisting they are not abandoned but rather chosen.

“Not everyone can say that, but I count myself lucky to have a birth mother who loved me enough to know she wasn’t ready to be a mom. I’m lucky that I have wonderful parents who chose me. I often say adoption is a full-circle blessing and I truly believe it. Adopted children were not abandoned, we were chosen.”

And the singer-actress is a big fan of the film Lion, which tells the story of a man in search of his birth town after he was adopted by a couple at a young age.

She added: “As I’ve grown, I’ve watched the conversation and perceptions about adopted kids and families shift, but nothing has quite captured the truth, both the good and the ugly, of adoption like the film. It’s an honest look at adoption and the not uncommon feelings surrounding identity that come up for many people.

Without getting on a soapbox, the film stands up to some commonly held misperceptions about adoption, the stigma many families deal with and supports the often life changing impact it can have.”