Lucy Hale is “picky” with who she dates

She said: "I’m not settling for less than what I think I deserve. I mean, dating is hard in general, but LA is a strange place to date. It's tricky with my job taking me everywhere, and I know what I'm looking for.

“I think it's good to be picky. Society makes you feel like you have to be married or have kids by a certain age, but that's outdated and doesn't work for my life."

And although she’s currently single, Lucy – who was last linked to Skeet Ulrich – still has plenty to keep her busy when she’s not working, as she has two dogs named Ethel and Elvis at home.

She added: "I love waking up with my dogs and drinking my coffee and watching the sunrise from my home. I used to think one day I'd have these big hobbies, but it's more just quiet moments with myself. I don't know if it's because work constantly pulls me in a million different directions, but I love solitude. It's not unusual for me to not do anything social for months at a time."

Lucy, 32, also stated she finally believes she’s reached a point in her self-love journey where she “likes” who she is “outside” of her acting career.

She told People magazine: "[I’ve gotten to] a point now where I love what I do, but I also like who I am outside of that.

“That, to me, is a big accomplishment because I didn't know if I'd ever be able to say that about myself.”