Jessica Alba was shy while growing up

Los Angeles, Aug 26 (IANS) Actress Jessica Alba was a "shy" girl during her childhood.

She says that she was very nervous around boys in her younger years and never had a boyfriend until she was 18, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I would tell my younger self you are smarter than you think you are. I always felt like because I didn't go to college, I wasn't smart. That's not the case. I wouldn't be so hard on myself about being accepted (by others)," Alba said in an interview with Allure magazine.

"I cared so much about everyone liking me. If I could just spend a little less time thinking about what other people thought, I think that would've freed me up (to focus on myself).

"I also thought a lot about boys even though I was so shy and never really had a boyfriend until I was 18. I would like to tell myself to be a little more brave or courageous if I liked someone," she added.