Jennifer Lopez: I was homeless

(CNN) -- Jennifer Lopez was "homeless" just months before she had her big break.

The 43-year-old superstar was cast as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy show "In Living Color" in 1991. But before she took on her first major gig in Hollywood, Lopez reveals she was living rough.

Lopez and her mother often argued about the life decisions she made, but the star couldn't help but live out her dreams.

"My mom and I butted heads. I didn't want to go to college -- I wanted to try dance full-time," she explained to W magazine.

"So she and I had a break. I started sleeping on the sofa in the dance studio. I was homeless, but I told her, 'This is what I have to do.' A few months later, I landed a job dancing in Europe. When I got back, I booked 'In Living Color.' I became a Fly Girl and moved to L.A. It all happened in a year."

Lopez has two children of her own with estranged husband Marc Anthony

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The star believes she will instill a strong work ethic in her five-year-old twins Max and Emme through leading by example.

"I think a lot about teaching my kids to work hard. I've learned something about kids -- they don't do what you say; they do what you do," Lopez explained.

"I watched my parents. My dad worked nights, and I was aware of how much he was doing for us. My mom was a Tupperware lady and also worked at the school. I always felt that I couldn't let them down. And I had a natural discipline from early on. I was always training for something."