Christy Carlson Romano had a sad reaction to failing more than one of the grueling — sometimes even terrifying — tasks on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

“I have failed in life before,” she said on the Fox reality series in which celebrities endure the rigorous training of former Special Forces operatives. “Getting less and less work over the years, I couldn’t help but feel like a failure. That has sort of affected the way that I process things.”

While Romano lasted longer than 10 other celebs did, she ultimately left on Wednesday’s episode in which she spoke frankly about her past as a child star. Fellow Disney child star Kyla Pratt and Carey Hart, the former motocross racer and the husband of Pink, also left. Just five of the 16 recruits remain.

Now 40, Romano is familiar to Even Stevens fans, which aired on the Disney Channel from 2000 to 2003, but she had been working on Broadway since she was 6. By the time she was a teen, she played Ren, the overachieving big sister of her mischievous brother, Louis (Shia LaBeouf), on the popular show. She also costarred with Hilary Duff in the 2002 TV movie Cadet Kelly and voiced the title character of the animated series Kim Possible beginning in 2002, both for Disney Channel.

On Special Forces, which debuted its third season on Jan. 8, Carlson mentioned another advantage that she had from her acting background. Her professional experience, as a Disney kid and appearing on Broadway, meant that she was used to working hard physically and on a schedule.

“Being a child performer, I had a completely structured childhood,” Romano said. “It’s strangely kindred to people in the military.”

The actress, who married former Marine and producer Brendan Rooney in 2013, said several times on the show that she was doing it to make him proud.

She also often mentioned her past as a child actor, which wasn’t always an asset. Romano regularly struggled and had an honest talk with instructors during one of her private sessions with them. That’s when the men — who are downright scary during tasks, such as rescuing a hostage from a war zone or jumping off a bridge — ask questions to learn more about a recruit’s mental state.

During their meeting with Romano, they asked what it was like for her to be famous at a young age.

“It was stressful,” she answered candidly. “The infrastructure isn’t really there to like help people feel anything but competitive against each other. I feel like I lost a lot of choice growing up. My mom, she was my manager until I was 21, and then I asked her to step down.”

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Romano explained that she was “seeking autonomy” at the time, but is “still uncertain if I handled it the right way.”

The relationship, she noted, has “been complex,” and she didn’t talk to her family for a year. She then descended into alcoholism, which she has spoken about previously.

“I drank to feel less stressed out. I was self-medicating,” Romano told the Directing Staff. “But I met my husband and, when I got pregnant, we decided, ‘this is a great time to just stop.’ I’ve been sober eight years, and I’ve worked through all of that. Truly.”

Now primarily a podcaster who hosts shows including Vulnerable, Romano admitted that surviving child stardom is one thing she hasn’t fully worked through.

“I was very confused about who I was meant to be, once I became an adult,” she said on the show. “I wanna figure out who I am and then find an inner strength, but I gotta put in the work to get it.”

Although the series often depicts her as struggling, Romano didn’t turn in her armband until the Directing Staff made her. One of them told her she had made a “good effort.”

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.