Madonna is a 'Control Freak' For a Mom, Daughter Lourdes Leon Says - So She Had to Get Away

Being Madonna's daughter has certain advantages - and then some disadvantages. At least this is what Lourdes Leon hinted.

Lourdes Leon revealed in a recent interview that she used the money she saved by going to college to get some distance from her "control freak" mother.

"We don't get any handouts in my family," Lourdes Leon said while speaking with Debi Mazar for Interview magazine. Debi, 57, asked how Lourdes, 25, shelled out the cash for her college tuition and apartment. She acknowledged the fact that she grew up "extreme privilege" by virtue of who her mom is. She said there is no denying that.

She praised her mom though for not wanting to raise her as spoiled while at the same time sharing why was grateful she could afford not to let Madonna pay for her tuition and things, as it means giving her some control over her.

"But I think my mom [Madonna] saw all these other kids of famous people, and she was like, 'My kids are not going to be like this," she explained. "Also, I feel like if your parents pay for things, then it gives them leverage over you," she added.

She also described her mother as a control freak that she felt compelled to keep a distance from. "My mom is such a control freak, and she has controlled me my whole life. I needed to be completely independent from her as soon as I graduated high school," she said.

Despite the no-so-pleasant description of her mom, Leon still expressed gratitude for her upbringing and offered some wisdom from pop icon Madonna, 63.

"She said something to me recently that has really stuck with me. I've been so concerned with making a decent living, and wanting to live more luxuriously than I was when I first graduated and wasn't earning a lot of money," revealed Lourdes.

"[Madonna] was like, 'Remember, this shit is not real. It's not about the money or your face or how hot you look. It's about what you're bringing into the world and what you're going to leave behind.' That always shakes me awake when I get too caught up in everything," the legend's daughter added.