La Reina del Sur star Monica Estarreado is sharing special selfies from the swimming pool, much to the appreciation of her many fans and followers. Estarreado, who plays Fátima Mansur on the show, shared a picture of herself wearing a dark gray bikini while shielding the sun from her eyes. "So pretty," a fan commented. Estarreado has come a long way in her career and says Fátima is her favorite role by far—here's why.

Estarreado finds playing the role of Fátima a breath of fresh air.  "It is the first time they have given me a character with these characteristics," she says. "It's risky because throughout my career I have played other types of characters, but when it came to me, I read her story and everything that remains to come, I fell in love with it. I wish we all had a Fatima inside or very close. It is the spark that brightens life. Above all, it's very different from anything I've done before, both in personality and accent. They are challenges that I really like."df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Estarreado started her career as a model, which she is very proud of. "[I became a model] to travel and because I made a lot of money, but my life and my career was somewhere else," she says. "I prepared to dance, I have always danced, and from this world they offered me a role as an actress on television. I liked it and they immediately offered me a job at The Supermarket, which was a wonderful school. She now loves this profession and wouldn't leave it for anything."

Estarreado is philosophical about negative feedback regarding her work. "I accept the bad ones like just nice things, as long as they're constructive," she says. "That they're done well, you know? There are times when critics are based on the beauty or not of one. That's not good for me… Sometimes, I read criticism, not to me anymore, but to other people which seems more personal than anything else. Criticism [can] serve as a guide for next time. To get better. "

Estarreado refuses to rule out cosmetic surgery in the future, but worries about the pressure on young girls to look a certain way. "At the moment, I have not undergone surgery, but it is true that I dedicate myself to a profession that requires me to be at my best and I don't know if I would decide when the time comes," she says. "And I don't think it's bad for someone to have surgery for a nose complex or another exaggerated feature, but I see girls whose parents give them a chest operation for getting good grades. Everything is taken out of context."

Estarreado finds it hard to watch herself on TV, but makes herself do it either way. "[It's difficult] a lot, but I do it because a teacher taught me," she says. "It is an exercise, learning to see yourself without prejudice, but it is very difficult. By seeing yourself you can iron out mistakes, things that you don't like, but I still try to see myself little because I am very critical of myself."