Former child star Frankie Muniz, 40, confessed that leaving Hollywood in the rearview mirror during the “height” of his popularity was a life-saving decision.

“Honestly, I did not like LA,” Muniz, 40, told Us Weekly on Wednesday “So I moved to Arizona, and I love it. I feel like it saved my life in the sense that I started enjoying the little aspects of life more, like hiking [and] going to the grocery store, because it was easy. I didn’t have to fight [to] find a parking spot or pay for valet.” 4

The “Malcolm in the Middle” star, who starred as the popular sitcom’s titular character from 2000 to 2006, left Tinseltown in 2008 to focus on being a full-time race car driver after winning the 29th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

“I was a huge racing fan, but never did it cross my

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