I come from an ordinary family - my dad is a carpenter, a roof-maker - and we've always loved racing together.

I missed my dad a lot growing up, even though we were together as a family. My dad was really a workaholic. And he was always working.

We sat together as a family for dinner at night. And my mother had a job. My dad had a job. But there was always a meal on the table at 6:00, you know.

In my living room, I was always playing guitar and writing songs and singing them. My dad and I would always sing together - only for friends and family, but always since I was a little girl.

When I was eight years old, my mum and dad took me skiing in Valle d'Aosta in northern Italy. I'm not usually a huge fan of snow or cold places, but I loved the fact that we were together as a family.

My dad was a wonderful, wonderful person. Sadly, he had some demons. There is a silver lining in all of that. You live and learn, and it has brought my family closer together, so I'm grateful for that.

We all started snowboarding in the beginning as a family just to be closer together, go on trips. It was our soccer, but instead of Dad yelling at me from the sideline he is there riding with me and hitting the jumps even before I am hitting them.

I come from a large family, with 16 cousins. My cousins studied well and moved to the U.S. When we all gathered together for special occasions, they would be well groomed and confident. I was the odd, useless one out. All I wanted was to be able to earn without my dad's help and be self-sufficient enough to own a house and a vehicle.

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