MUMBAI: Actress Dia Mirza recalls the separation of her parents when she was a small child with sadness, but says her stepfather was "an exemplary human being" who knew exactly how to deal with her situation.

"As a child, I remember seeing what a struggle it was for both my parents to accommodate and adjust to the idea of not being together. They cared for each other deeply, they loved each other. They just couldn't stay together because they wanted different things from life and sometimes, it happens," she told pinkvilla.com

About her stepfather, Dia recalled fondly: "My stepfather was an exemplary human being. It took me a lot of time to accept him as a parent. But what he did intelligently was he befriended me. Nothing broke my heart more than leaving Hyderabad at 18 and leaving his care. I lost my biological father when I was none and I lost my stepfather at 23. Both men had such a deep impact on my understanding of life."

Growing up in a broken home was complicated for her. "It was complicated, unusual, (and) difficult," she recalled while speaking to the website, and added: "You feel socially different because your classmates' parents are together and the rhythm of sports days changes. Things change and you need to adapt."