Lea Michele's singing criticised by her parents

Lea Michele's parents told her she couldn't sing.

The 24-year-old actress - best known for playing Rachel Berry in US musical drama series 'Glee' - insists her career in performing did not come as a result of encouragement from her mother and father.

She said: "Did my parents see my star potential? No, they didn't even know I could sing!

"I remember asking my mum if she wanted to hear me sing and she was busy, and then my dad pulled me aside, knelt down in front of me and said, 'Listen, you're really funny and a great dancer, but you can't sing.' I will never let him live that down."

Despite her lack of encouragement, Lea was delighted when she landed her role in 'Glee' - though her audition didn't go as well as she had hoped.

She explained: "My best and worst audition was for 'Glee'. Everything went wrong.

"On my way there I got into a massive car wreck when I was pulling into the studio.

"When I came into the room, the pianist messed up my track, so I stopped him and told him he had to start it over.

"Everyone was laughing at me so I told them to stop and little did I know that there were little bits of Rachel Berry in me. I thought, 'This is the worst audition of my life'. But I got it!"