"I have grown up in the public eye since I was 13, and my personal life has taken its ups and downs," Rimes said in an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show Monday.
Asked about allegations of an affair with her Northern Lights costar Eddie Cibrian, Rimes, 26, refused to directly address or debunk anything. "It's hard to continue to go back and forth in the press," she said. "It's really hurtful to myself. It's hurtful to my loved ones."
"I refuse to discuss tabloid rumors," Rimes added. "I've grown up in the press my entire life. I think people are fascinated by my personal life, and I totally get it."
On the show to promote her book What I Cannot Change, the singer said she sometimes wishes she could have a less public career, but told Lauer, "I love what I do. I'm passionate about what I do."
Rimes has made similar statements in the press recently. She shrugged off rumors of infidelity while on Live with Regis and Kelly, saying at the time: "There's rumors all the time." And the singer posted a statement on her official Web site thanking fans for their support through the "difficult time for me and my loved ones."
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