Katherine Heigl reveals what it's like to be Hollywood's most hated actress.

As far as fame goes, Katherine Heigl‘s is the kind no-one would actively seek.

Her career has been plagued with rampant and aggressive criticism, with those weighing in taking aim at both the personal and the professional, Heigl’s acting overshadowed in conversation by those who seek to bring her down.

But now, years after enduring what seems like a tsunami of the most unattractive criticism out there, Heigl has finally revealed the burden of what it meant to be Hollywood’s most talked about, and perhaps most unpopular, actress.

A photo posted by Katherine Heigl (@katherineheigl) on Jun 5, 2016 at 2:05pm PDT

In an interview with news.com.au, Heigl told the website it took a long time for her to come to terms and be able to process a very public discourse of hate.

“I didn’t deal with it well in my 20s. I was so self-conscious and self-doubting, and even now, it’s hard not to care when you feel judged unfairly,” she said.

More than anything, the former Greys Anatomy star says age has been a crucial determinant in being able to navigate who she is amongst the criticism.

A photo posted by Katherine Heigl (@katherineheigl) on May 11, 2016 at 8:56am PDT

“At a certain point, I had to think, ‘Who do I really, really want to like me?’ and that question saved me because there aren’t many people. I want my husband to like me, my family, and I hope one day my children will like me.

“I have to be honest, I’m a very neurotic person, but just growing older has lessened that feeling of shame.”

Perhaps most interestingly, Heigl felt during those tumultuous years that if those around her are voicing their criticisms about her, then they must be true. A kind of where-there’s-smoke-there’s-fire self-destructive mantra, it seems.

“When somebody says something negative about me I have a tendency to think, ‘They must be right! I must be an asshole!’ but I think age has helped me deal with criticism,” she said.

Heigl has since escaped the Hollywood bubble, moving to Utah in 2010 with her musician husband Josh Kelley. The couple were married in 2007 and are raising their two daughters Naleigh, 7, and Adalaide, 4, with another baby on the way, due in January.