Elizabeth Smart was found alive in 2003 after she was abducted from her bedroom, and she’s telling her young children about it.

The kidnapping and rape survivor has found a new purpose since her high-profile rescue nearly 21 years ago. 

The child safety activist and author is a special guest on Monday’s episode of “America’s Most Wanted,” which has returned to FOX with longtime host John Walsh.

The series, which features cases from across the country, offers a tip line at the end of each episode where viewers can provide leads in hopes of bringing justice to victims.

Elizabeth Smart and her father Ed Smart walk away from federal court after the sentencing of Elizabeth’s kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, May 25, 2011, in Salt Lake City. (George Frey)

“For better or for worse, my case was everywhere for a long time,” she said. “So many people approached me while grocery shopping, in airports, just in random places. … I was never drawn to the spotlight. I was more of a wallflower. So, coming home and dealing with that kind of attention was a major adjustment … but I had my safe place.”

And when Smart looks back at her kidnapping, there was one thing that gave her hope.

Elizabeth Smart recently participated in “The Masked Dancer” as she takes control of the next chapter of her life. (FOX)

“I only ever heard about how important it was to not have sex before marriage … so I felt an immense amount of shame,” Smart explained. “I felt like I’d lost my worth as … a human being. But, ultimately, I remembered how much my parents loved me. … It did take me time to realize that it didn’t matter that I had been kidnapped. 

“It didn’t matter that I’d been raped. It didn’t matter that I’d been chained up. My parents would still want me back, no matter what. And that knowledge, those feelings of love, are ultimately what gave me hope and the belief to keep going. … You can’t forget the power of love.

Elizabeth Smart, left, has a close friendship with John Walsh, center, who raised awareness about her kidnapping case on “America’s Most Wanted.” (FOX)

“My dad, my grandpa and so many adults in my family have always stressed the importance of service and trying to leave the world a better place than what we found it,” Smart reflected. “And since then, I’ve just felt this is what I was meant to do – to share my story. This is where I can make a difference in the world. And so, here I am.”