Miley Cyrus, who rose to fame as a child star on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, became emotional as she praised fans of the show after being named a 'Disney Legend'.
The Grammy-award winning singer received a standing ovation from the 12,000-strong crowd when she became the youngest star honoured with the Disney Legend status at the company’s biennial fan convention, D23.
Country singer Lainey Wilson introduced Cyrus with a rendition of Hannah Montana theme track 'The Best Of Both Worlds', before thanking the star for 'never being afraid to step outside the box'.
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Cyrus said 'a little bit of everything has changed' since she shot her first scenes as a teenager leading a double life as a famous pop star, 'but at the same time nothing has changed at all'.
“I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana,” the 31-year-old said, with footage shared on YouTube by Keena Kindragon showing her blinking back tears.
“This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality."
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“To quote the legend herself, This Is The life,” she continued, referencing the 2006 Hannah Montana track which featured on the show.
Disney Legend status is an honor given to those who are deemed to have significantly influenced the company.
During her speech, Cyrus made a witty reference to rumors that Disney kids are created in the Californian Disney office.
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“I definitely wasn’t created in a lab,” she said. “And if I was, there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and 2016,” she joked, referencing her 'Wrecking Ball' era.
Cyrus also became emotional on stage when giving advice about fear.
“What I want to say is that legends get scared too,” she said. “I’m scared right now, but the difference is we do it anyway and all of you can do that every single day.
“It’s legendary to be afraid and do it anyway. There is no such thing as failure when you try, that’s the only way you lose.”
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However, while Cyrus starred on Hannah Montana alongside her country singer star dad Billy Ray Cyrus, she failed to mention him in her speech.
Her father starred as her on-screen dad Robby Stewart on the show for all four of the seasons it ran for.
The omission comes amid rumors that Cyrus and her father have become estranged in more recent years.
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The singer also failed to mention her dad in her Grammy Award acceptance speech earlier this year after winning Record Of The Year for her hit song 'Flowers'.
It's thought that the pair may have fallen out after the 'Achy Breaky Heart' singer wed Firerose last year, who is 27 years his junior.
They have since filed for divorce.
Topics: Miley Cyrus, Disney, Music, Celebrity
Niamh Shackleton