Ellen DeGeneres says marriage has softened her...

Ellen DeGeneres says marriage to Portia de Rossi changed her life for the better.

"My heart just feels a little bit different, softer and somehow more in love," she told the Associated Press in an interview for anti-cancer messages she recently recorded. "I don't know how. But it just feels really romantic and lovely. I just feel really blessed." .

Ellen admitted that she has had to make one or two adjustments: "I keep saying 'my girlfriend,' but I have to go to 'wife,'"

Ellen has recorded a collection of phone messages doubling as health wake-up calls for women. The messages are part of October's national breast cancer awareness drive.

"I went into a studio and recorded a million different (versions): 'Hi, this is Ellen DeGeneres and your sister told me to remind you that it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month,'" she said. " 'Your teacher told me to call you,' 'Your neighbor told me to call you,' 'Your cousin,' 'Your mother.'"