Cameron Diaz says that her plan of becoming a young wife and parent was "shattered early on."

The 39-year-old stars as an expectant mother in upcoming movie What to Expect When You're Expecting.

And she tells the June issue of Redbook that her successful career took over from her dreams of having children at a young age.

"I thought I was going to be married and have two children by the time I was 21," Cameron told the publication. "I think I felt I had to model my life after my mother's."

"But then my career was starting to take off and there were still so many things I wanted to do. So that dream [of motherhood] for me was shattered early on. After that I never put another time line on anything in my life.

Cameron started off as a successful teen model before getting her breakout role in The Mask when she was 21.

Meanwhile, her co-star Jennifer Lopez also told the magazine that she felt "sad and depressed" after having her twins Max and Emme four years ago and thought they "didn't like me" before realising she had the "baby blues."