Tracee Ellis Ross' mother, Diana Ross, taught her she "didn't need a man".

The 52-year-old actress - who is the daughter of the Motown legend and music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein - is proud of the life she has built for herself and credits the example set by her mom for her independent attitude.

She told the new issue of Self magazine: "I come from a lot of abundance, but all of the abundance that I enjoy is mine, that I've built.

"And building my own life has made me very aware of what my mother built on her own and what it took for her to do that.

"[My mom] didn't build the wealth she has, she didn't build the career she made because of a man.

"The example that was set for me [was] that I didn't need a man to build the life I wanted. It wasn't, 'Look at me,' it was, 'This is me.' And that informed something very important for me foundationally."

Tracee has never married but wore her "wedding dress" to the Emmy Awards in 2016, where she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Black-ish.

She said: "I wore my wedding dress to the first Emmys that I was nominated. It was Ralph Lauren couture.

"And I remember thinking, 'Oh, I'm marrying my life.'

Despite being proud of her independent nature, the Girlfriends actress is "not interested" in being the poster child for "singledom".

She said: "I'm not interested in [being the poster child for] singledom, because I am looking to meet a partner.

"What I don't mind is being a poster child for living your life on your own terms, for not waiting for partnership to find joy and happiness, for curating and cultivating one's own sense of self."

And Tracee won't be resorting to dating apps to find a partner.

She said: "I already have such an issue with the swipe of life. The juxtaposition of horrible things or beautiful things and garbage things all mushed into swiping. I don't want to put the idea of partnership into that kind of category as if I'm shopping for something."

Nor is she waiting for someone to come and "sweep [her] off [her] feet".

She said: "Men get to an age where they're like, 'Now I'm ready.' But women, we're supposed to be waiting the whole time. This is not going to be some sweep-me-off-my-feet [moment]. I like where my feet are. I've worked very hard to get them underneath me.

"I want a whole life and I want a real life, and I want a true life, and I want a partner that's not going to sweep me off my feet, but is going to link arms with me. And that might not happen, and that's OK.

"It's not a reflection [that] I'm a bad person or unlovable. I might never get an Emmy. It doesn't mean I'm not worthy of one. So it doesn't mean I'm not worthy of a partner."