Sophia Loren gets emotional discussing her difficult childhood

Screen legend Sophia Loren's first autobiography is out, and she's giving rare insight into her iconic career. ABC got an on-camera sit down with the star, and she got emotional while discussing her childhood.

"It was very difficult because ... sorry. I went through a lot with my family, of course."

Loren, 80, grew up in Italy, living in war and poverty. Her aristocratic dad ignored her family, and sometimes, they had to beg for food.

Check out some vintage photos of the beauty:

Those difficult years are the focus of much of the book, but she also discusses her love life, including her relationship with Cary Grant.

The iconic actor, who was 30 years her senior, proposed, but Loren didn't think he was her perfect match. Loren told The Telegraph, "Cary belonged to another world in America. I felt that I would never fit in there. I would never have a future there because of my nationality."

That's a sentiment she also echoed in an interview with ABC: "I wanted a family, I wanted children. I wanted to be in my country."

As The Daily Mail notes, the book includes love letters from Grant. Loren would go on to marry film producer Carlo Ponti, a fellow Italian.

More to see:
'Frozen' actress got paid $926, but should she 'let it go?'
Kim Kardashian goes on campaign to break the Internet with full butt shot
'Big Bang Theory' actress Carol Ann Susi dies