Faith Keeps "Hannah Montana" Grounded

by Jennifer Riley

Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus recently credited her family and faith for keeping her grounded and out of trouble when many young fellow celebrities have made headlines for their reckless lifestyle and running into legal trouble.

The 15-year-old singer and actress told TV presenter Barbara Walters during an Oscar night celebrity special that aired last Sunday that family and faith are more important than materialism and partying.

“Some people don’t have a family to fall back on, like I have, and that’s when something greater than even that comes in – and that’s faith and that’s what I have for me,” Cyrus told Walters, according to ABC News. “That’s what keeps me strong.”

The teen sensation explained that many young stars turn to drugs or alcohol because they’re trusting the wrong people and losing touch with God.

"I think a lot of these people do have Christian families but they're not seeing that they're so much greater than the materialistic things right now – like parties,” she said.

Leticia Cyrus, Miley’s mom and manager, travels with her and is the “strict” discipliner. Her father, country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, also plays her father onscreen on “Hannah Montana.” Billy Ray shored to stardom with his first single, “Achy Breaky Heart” – the same year Miley was born.

“The people that are the ones you wanna hold onto are the people that tell you the truth,” Cyrus said to Walters, in reference to her family.

She said she faces the same pressures and temptations as troubled young stars like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

"People will say, 'Well, you're only 14. You're not getting the same pressures as them,'" she said, according to ABC News. "It's like ... 'Yes, I am.' It's because, you know, this life that I lead is pretty crazy. It's just about, you know, having value and having pride in yourself."

Cyrus said she could not imagine herself in the shoes of her friend and fellow Disney star Jamie-Lynn Spears, who recently announced she was pregnant at 16.

"It's definitely hard when it's your friend," she said. "Jamie Lynn is, you know, a friend a mine. But also I know how strong she is as a person. I just think it's pretty cool that she stepped away, 'cause that's what I would have to do."

The Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour has grossed over $60 million in U.S. box office receipts to date. Following the success of the show, Cyrus’ first two albums debuted at No. 1, displacing new releases by well-known artists such as Kelly Clarkson. In December 2007, Cyrus was ranked No. 17 in the list of Forbes top 20 earners under 25 with an annual earning of $3.5 million.