Jennifer Lopez survived on one slice of pizza a day before landing her first big gig as a dancer.

The New York native is now a world-famous superstar, but making ends meet at the very beginning of her career in the late 1980s was so tough, she had to starve herself to get by.

"I ate one slice of pizza each day - no breakfast, no lunch," she recalled as she promoted her new TV competition show World of Dance. "I would eat it at 6pm so it would hold me over until the next day. That's how I lived, once I moved out of my mum's house, and I did that for a couple of years before I got my first big job."

JLo scored her big break in 1991, when she was cast as a Fly Girl on the sketch comedy series In Living Color, and she went on to establish herself in Hollywood with roles in movie biopic Selena, Anaconda, and Out of Sight, in which she starred alongside George Clooney, while also making her mark on the pop charts.

However, the Jenny From the Block hitmaker insists she will never forget her humble beginnings, because they continue to keep her grounded.

"I wouldn't change it for the world," the 47-year-old said of her tough career start, which partly inspired her to return to her dance roots for her new reality show, on which she serves as a judge.

"For me, coming from that struggle, this is a dream come true for me," she explained. "I don't say that lightly."

World of Dance, which premieres on U.S. TV in May (17), also features Derek Hough and Ne-Yo on the judging panel, with Jennifer's fellow dancer-turned-actress Jenna Dewan Tatum as host.

It's the latest project on Lopez's already-packed slate - the mother-of-two also has to juggle her family life with her fashion endeavors, her Las Vegas concert residency, and her New York-based police drama Shades of Blue, which was just renewed for a third season.