Hilary Duff is opening up about a deeply personal chapter of her life, revealing that her relationship with her parents and sister has been strained for years.

During the March 9 episode of the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast, the actress and singer spoke candidly about the inspiration behind songs from her new album Luck... or Something.

Duff said one of the tracks, "The Optimist," reflects the emotional impact of growing up in a family divided after her parents' divorce, E! News reported.

"I think being very vulnerable and open about what it's like to be in a family that your parents aren't together and you don't have relationships with both of your parents," Duff explained.

"It's devastating. It doesn't matter what age you are, you want your parents to feel like they care about you. And a big portion of my existence hasn't felt like that."

The former How I Met Your Father star acknowledged that her feelings are deeply personal. "I don't know if that's the truth," she added, "but that's how it feels."

Hilary Duff Shares About Relationship With Family`

Duff's parents, Bob Duff and Susan Duff, divorced in 2008, a turning point that she said affected many of her family relationships.

Now 38, the star shared that she has struggled to rebuild her connection with her father over the years.

"My dad and I don't really have much of a relationship and we don't speak very often," Duff said.

"It's really hard, I think, if a family breaks apart very dramatically. It's hard to find your way back sometimes—some people want to and some people don't."

The singer also revealed that her bond with her sister, Haylie Duff, has grown distant in recent years.

According to Yahoo, their estrangement became the emotional inspiration for another track on the album titled "We Don't Talk."

Duff admitted that speaking publicly about family struggles was difficult. However, she said she felt it was important to be honest while making new music after nearly a decade away from releasing a full record.

"In my adulthood, I've come across more and more people that are having this experience," Duff explained. "And as painful as it feels to share, when I decided to make this record, I could only talk about the things that I've gone through."

She added that returning to music meant facing her own reality. "There would be no purpose to make a record after 10 years [other] than to face what it's been like. So that's my truth."

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