Fantasia Barrino had a very honest conversation about her life after she was introduced to fame on American Idol.

The 39-year-old The Color Purple actress won the third season of the popular singing contest in 2004.

However, in a recent interview, she explained that she might have won the show but she proceeded to lose everything else as she battled personal and professional struggles. With the benefit of distance, Fantasia explained what she learned from her earliest brush with fame.

Read more about Fantasia Barrino’s struggles and what she learned from them…

“It wasn’t easy,” Fantasia told People, adding, “I lost a lot. I lost everything.”

She continued, explaining, “You have to become a businesswoman and you link up with great business partners, but it doesn’t have a lot to do with love. It took me a long time to figure that out.”

Instead, Fantasia went into the industry “very, very green,” which left her in a tough spot. Instead of expressing doubts, she said she “just trusted and believed everybody that came into my life.”

Now, she said that the struggles were “necessary” and that she was “grateful” for them.

“If I did not go through that, I wouldn’t be the woman that I am today,” she opined.

Fantasia recently recalled a time that she was racially profiled.