The mad world of Mariah
She won’t move without 15 lackeys, won’t sleep without 20 humidifiers and (despite a new toyboy) won’t give back her ex-fiancé’s $10m ring. A new reality show bares all about...
dripping onto her head. Her maid has responsibility for humidifying – as viewers see on the show.
I
is for Insects: Mariah is very particular about these. She only likes butterflies, which she loves so much she named her second album after them, and has swarms of them at home. She has even been known to insist on having butterfly confetti in her dressing room. She has a butterfly tattooed on her back. It’s lucky she can’t see it – ex-husband Nick Cannon’s name is written through it.
J
is for Jewels: Life is all about diamonds for Mariah. Earlier this year she was given her most expensive one to date – a $10m engagement ring, above right, from Packer. Just in case you haven’t seen it, tune into her show where you’ll see her flashing it at any given opportunity. The jewel is at the centre of a custody battle, with Mariah refusing to return it.
K
is for Kardashians and
Kittens: Until now, Kim and Co. have worn the diamante crown as the queens of reality TV. But not for much longer if Mariah has anything to do with it. But she’s not admitting to any rivalry. In 2014, Mariah’s ex Nick Cannon claimed she did not even know who the Kardashians were.
Mariah also has a thing for baby cats. In 2009, when turning the Christmas lights on at Westfield shopping centre in London, she asked for 20 white kittens to surround her as she flicked the switch. She also wanted 100 white doves and 100 security guards.
L
is for Lipo: It has long been alleged that Mariah has undergone a long list of cosmetic surgeries, Botox, nose jobs, boob jobs, cheek implants and tummy tucks. Last Christmas, after she unveiled a new, slimline figure on Instagram, rumours that the 45lb of weight loss was courtesy of liposuction were emblazoned across American gossip magazines.
M
is for Mimi: Mariah expects her staff, friends, family and even fans to call her Mimi. She has a thing for names beginning with M. Her five-yearold twins are called Moroccan and Monroe. They appear in the TV show – telling her off for jumping into the sea fully clothed.
N
is for Nanny: It’s not an easy life being Mariah’s Mary Poppins. Simonette Da Costa sued Mariah after she was sacked for apparently showing the twins too much affection. She said she worked 100hour weeks, was on call 24 hours a day and was not paid overtime.
O
is for Outfits: Mariah makes no secret of the fact she simply loves clothes, particularly jewelencrusted floor-length numbers that show off her ample cleavage. When on tour though, one or two isn’t enough. Oh no, Mariah likes to have a minimum of six changes per gig. She loads her dresses into a staggering 27 suitcases.
P
is for Prenup and Private
jets: Rumours she was ordered by Packer to sign a prenuptial agreement are confirmed on Mariah’s World. It wasn’t such a bad deal, though. The star was being offered $6m for every year of marriage, capped at $30m.
Mariah is seen hopping on and off her private jet – her preferred way to travel. When filming her movie Tennessee in 2007, the star was so appalled at being required to fly economy that she bought up every seat in the entire cabin.
Q
is for Queen: Mariah likes to describe herself as the Queen of R&B. In fact, she likes to think she is
the Queen of absolutely everything. And it goes without saying that her diamond collection gives Queen Elizabeth a run for her money.
R
is for Royalties: Her bank balance sits at around $500m, but it’s due for a top-up any time now. Her festive tune, All I Want For Christmas, nets her a whopping $500,000 in royalties every December and has generated about $40m worldwide since its release in 1994.
S
is for Stilettos: Mariah takes 100 pairs of high heels on tour. When she struggles to fasten them up, as she does on her show, she calls on four poor souls to do it for her. Unfortunately, sky-scraping shoes don’t like her with the same enthusiasm. Last May she fell on a red carpet in New York while attempting to walk in a towering pair of Louboutins. But that will never stop her. She insists: ‘I can’t wear flat shoes, my feet repel them.’ Just in case, she has a member of staff to carry her when her toes hurt.
T
is for Timekeeping and Temper: Viewers of Mariah’s World will be treated to a bit of both. Tardiness is one of Mariah’s middle names – she left her backing dancers waiting for three hours on the eve of her European tour in Glasgow. Mariah also has a temper and throws a diamond at a wall at the beginning of the first episode of the series.
U
is for Underwear: The racier and lacier the better for Mariah. As much as she loves a frock, she is also happy to leave them at home and venture out purely in her smalls. Earlier this year she DJ’d at a Las Vegas nightclub in black lingerie – stockings, suspenders and all. And she loves to show off her curves by posing in her favourite undies and posting the pictures on Instagram, above left.
V
is for Voice and Vitamin
water: Without her extraordinary five-octave range, Mariah’s world would be a great deal more humdrum. So it is hardly surprising she has insured her voice for $35m. She refuses to speak to anyone for two days before a concert. As for vitamin water, she is said to wash her dog Fred’s hair with it.
W
is for Walk-In Wardrobe: It’s every woman’s dream to own one of these. Mariah has one just for lingerie, another for shoes, and four huge mobile ones to take on tour. At home in New York, her wardrobes are climate controlled and arranged by colour and material.
X
is for Exes: It’s not only Mariah who has plenty of ex-boyfriends, her staff do too. Viewers will be stunned when Mariah insists that her new assistant, Molly, dump her man. Boyfriends, Mariah tells her, are to be ‘non-existent’. Molly’s ex is in good company, as Mariah has a few of her own, including Flavio Briatore, Eminem and another former husband, Tommy Mottola.
Y
is for Yacht: A few weeks before their split, Mariah and Packer jetted away for a break off the coast of Capri. However, as seen in the show, they don’t share a yacht but have a ‘his and hers’ pair. While his is bigger, Mariah’s, below, is every inch as luxurious as you’d expect, with a designer bathroom, hot tub, and, of course, a walk-in wardrobe. At 192ft long, it can house her entire entourage.
Z
is for Zzzzzzzs: Viewers will be left wondering if Mariah’s assistant managed to install that Apple TV, the key to her sleep. In fact, she did, and the humidifiers next to her bed worked, so we can reveal that Mariah did get some zzzzzs during her tour. This is a good thing because, according to the star herself, she is ‘not a morning person’.