Kristin Chenoweth Shares Her Letter to Her Mom This Mother’s Day

"You told me to believe in myself always," the actress wrote.

ByABC News
May 8, 2015, 8:53 AM

— -- Kristin Chenoweth is a mama's girl and proud of it!

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Chenoweth is among the celebrities who contributed a personal letter to her mom in a new book, “A Letter to My Mom,” which includes notes and tributes from people across the world celebrating the women who raised them.

"You have given me many gifts, but the most important one is easy: you told me to believe in myself always," the actress, 46, wrote in the touching letter to her mom, whom she affectionately calls “Junie aka June bug aka Mama.”

“You supported my decision to become an actress and a singer. You supported me with my self-esteem, not be confused with arrogance.”

Chenoweth, the Tony-award winner who stars in the Broadway musical "On the Twentieth," thanks her mom for her sacrifices.

“You gave up your own career so you could have ours. You did without so we could have whatever we needed. You drove many miles to ballet class and piano lessons for me. You sacrificed so I could go to college,” she wrote.

Kristin Chenoweth is pictured with her mother in a childhood photo.
Kristin Chenoweth is pictured with her mother in a childhood photo.

She also reveals that it’s her mother who taught her how to be strong.

“Another question I get asked if how can I be so ‘tough’? I have seen you battle cancer several times and come out the winner. I have seen you handle difficult surgeries barely complaining. You have shown me how to handle any difficulty with grace,” Chenoweth wrote.

Chenoweth’s tribute is one of many in the collection, including letters from Melissa Rivers, Shania Twain, Kelly Osbourne, will.i.am, and ABC News’ chief meteorologist Ginger Zee.

Zee thanks her mother, Dawn, for her sacrifices.

“My respect for you is so great,” Zee wrote. “And now that I am newly married and wanting to start my own family someday, this reflection on our relationship makes me see all the sacrifices you made more clearly than ever before. I have a ton to live up to if I get the chance to be a mom.”

PHOTO: Kristin Chenoweth is among the celebrities who contributed to a new book, "A Letter to My Mom," which includes personal letters from people across the world celebrating and honoring the women who raised them.
Kristin Chenoweth is among the celebrities who contributed to a new book, "A Letter to My Mom," which includes personal letters from people across the world celebrating and honoring the women who raised them.

Watch Chenoweth read her letter above and tell us: What do you want to thank your mom for this Mother's Day?