Miley Cyrus breaks down in tears as she honors Hannah Montana while accepting Disney Legends status

Miley Cyrus , who catapulted to stardom as a child actress on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, emotionally thanked the show's fans for making her "dream a reality" during a heartfelt speech.

The Grammy award-winning artist was met with a standing ovation from the 12,000-strong audience when she became the youngest star to be honored with Disney Legends status at the company's biennial fan convention, D23. Country music artist Lainey Wilson introduced Cyrus with a performance of the Hannah Montana theme song The Best Of Both Worlds, before expressing gratitude to the star for "never being afraid to step outside the box."

Cyrus acknowledged that "a little bit of everything has changed" since she filmed her first scenes as a teenager leading a double life as a famous pop star "but at the same time nothing has changed at all."

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"I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana," the 31-year-old declared. "This award is dedicated to Hannah and all of her amazing, loyal fans, and to everyone who has made my dream a reality. To quote the legend herself, This Is The life," she continued, referencing the Hannah Montana track which featured on the show.

During her address, Cyrus humorously referred to rumors that Disney kids are manufactured in the Californian Disney office. "I definitely wasn't created in a lab," she stated.

"And if I was, there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and 2016," she quipped, referring to her Wrecking Ball era.

Miley Cyrus got candid with her fans during a heartfelt moment on stage, opening up about coping with fear. "What I want to say is that legends get scared too," she admitted.

"I'm scared right now, but the difference is we do it anyway and all of you can do that every single day. It's legendary to be afraid and do it anyway. There is no such thing as failure when you try, that's the only way you lose."

Fresh from snagging her first two Grammys earlier in the year, Cyrus shared these words referencing her 2023 chart-topping hit Flowers.

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