Tracee Ellis Ross: 'My mum Diana taught me to be sex-positive'

Tracee Ellis Ross has credited her singer mother Diana for raising her as a "sex-positive" woman.

The 45-year-old actress has moved out of her mother's shadow since making a name for herself as an actress and starring in hit TV series Black-ish. But being raised as the daughter of a world-famous sex symbol certainly had its advantages, with Tracee telling America's Glamour magazine that she puts her confidence in her sexuality down to the I'm Coming Out star.

"My mom is a sexy woman - that is part of her persona - and that is a delicious thing that has never felt scary to me," Tracee told the publication. "Recently I learned this wonderful term, sex-positive, and that is the way I feel. (For me) the answer to the objectification of women and black women in our culture is not to shut down my sexuality but to own it as something that is mine."

Despite having an incredibly busy career, Diana always makes it her mission to be there for each of her five children. And this dedication to her brood is something Tracee admires greatly.

"I have never heard my mom say, ‘Not now - I don’t have time.' Even now, in the middle of the night, my mom will answer the telephone," Tracee smiled. "It’s incredible to know you are loved in a way that somebody is there for you. That’s something that I have used in my relationships with friends. My friends know: My home phone ringer doesn’t turn off. You need me in the middle of the night? I am your girl. I will bring you to the hospital. I will call you if you are frightened."