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I struggled as a young girl, feeling very rejected, very ridiculed because of my appearance. Then, irony of ironies, after blossoming but still never feeling good enough, I got into the most rejection-prone occupations: model and actress.

I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for the painful things that I've gone through in life. God has used them to develop what could never have been formed in me in any other way.

[on the ranch she lives in]: We had a vision to create a place where believers could come to rest, rejuvenate and heal and where the artistic community could come to work on creative projects. It's a place of conception of dreams and vision. As time passed, the ache I had for children began to lift from me.

[on who has been the most influential person in her life]: My mother. She's the funniest human being I know as well as the most capable, strongest, most optimistic and incredibly talented. She's given me a lot to aspire to.

[on writing "Beauty by the Book"]: In college I began to blossom, I grew into my 5-foot-9-inch frame. When I did, boys began to notice, and their attention made me feel good about myself for the first time... My insecurities and low self-image were still there; they were just hidden behind the facade of 'pretty' and 'popular'.

[When she was faced of having her cancer surgery]: I was scared of the surgery, but what really scared me was that the very source of my income and affirmation, my face, had become my life, I felt ashamed. After the surgery I began to search for God.

I was a gangly, klutzy, studious girl, who was respected by the teachers and not at all popular with the other kids.

[As a character actress]: I love being the bad guy, I love dealing with those intense emotions.

[When she played Michelle Thomas]: They keep telling me, 'Your wardrobe is nice, Nancy, but where's the teddy?'

[on her mentor's, Andy Griffith's 85th Birthday]: Andy is indeed an amazing man! I love him!

[Of Andy Griffith] It was awesome working with Andy. He's absolutely the best. It was a party every day. He's a sheer delight and we got along famously. I adored him. He also loved my husband Larry who plays fiddle and mandolin, and so often Andy would elbow me and say, 'get Larry to come over and bring his instruments.'

[on her on- and off-screen chemistry with Andy Griffith]: I was terrified and charged at the same time, of course, he was an icon, and is an icon. It has just been [and I can't imagine] a greater joy I've had of working those 5 years with him. He's the most genuinely, hysterically, funny human being on the planet. He is sharp as a tack, he is totally ... I was so impressed because he is completely involved in every aspect of that show. He read every single script, he had notes to write, he rewrote scenes that made them better, he's a craftsman with dialogue [of course] coming from his stand-up days, too, you can imagine, and he just knows his stuff.

[on the death of Andy Griffith]: I'm heartsick... I am forever grateful for the 5 wonderful years I worked with Andy. They were a highlight of my life. I've never laughed so hard or learned so much! He has left an indelible mark on my life - and the lives of countless millions. He was a consummate professional, an American treasure, and a dear man.

[Who talked about working with her childhood hero Andy Griffith, who changed her life]: He was a consummate pro. He'd nail his lines on the first or second take, then do a little jig and make a joke.